Operation: Grim Reaper Recall
by Agent of Espionage
Summary: Hermione is 23 years old and part of the elite Secret Auror Service. How is Snape involved with a recent Death Eater breakout? Please READ and REVIEW!
1. A Walk In The Park

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Title: Operation: Grim Reaper Recall

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Rating: PG-13

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Summary: Hermione is part of the elite Secret Auror Service. There's a recent Death Eater breakout at Azkaban and she is assigned to capture them all. Can she do it? How does Snape fit into all of this? 

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Disclaimer: I own my original characters and my ideas.

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Author's Notes: This is a work-in-progress. There will be eventual HG/SS. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.

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Chapter One: A Walk In The Park

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New York City, New York: Central Park

Mid-August

"She's not coming. Can't we go? I'm tired and bored."

Hermione Granger, staring intently at the entrance to the Great Lawn, looked up at her partner Eugene Quirrell. Both were seated high in a tree, which gave them a great vantage point of the whole lawn.

Since she had received top marks on all her O.WL.'s and N.E.W.T.'s, it was easy for her to pursue a career as an Auror. By the time she was 19 years old, she had completed her Aurory training at record speed and became the youngest Auror in the Ministry of Magic. Seeing her potential, the newly appointed Director of Aurors Kingsley Shacklebolt tested her by giving her the most difficult assignments he had. After a year of proving herself more than capable of completing difficult and dangerous assignments that took her around the world, she was promoted to the Secret Auror Service. Hermione was so excited and overjoyed when she heard this news.

The Secret Auror Service was a small, elite group of highly skilled Aurors who were given assignments regular Aurors could not handle. Unless they were assigned to go undercover, all Secret Aurors are required to dress in black and wear something on their face to cover up their identity while on assignment. The challenge and excitement of it all was what Hermione really loved. She had developed a taste for danger as a result.

Six months after her promotion, there was a recent breakout of Death Eaters at Azkaban, just like in Hermione's 5th year at Hogwarts. Not surprisingly, the Death Eaters that escaped then were the same Death Eaters who escaped now. Except this time, they all fled to New York City where they could blend in with the crowd and go unnoticed easily. Director Shacklebolt transferred Hermione to the American Auror headquarters, the Magical Intelligence Bureau (MIB). Her task was to locate and capture all escapees. She was also assigned a partner, a newly promoted Secret Auror Eugene Quirrell. 

Hermione was now 22 years old. She learned the wonders of hair conditioner and now had straight, long hair she dyed a rich auburn color that fell just below her shoulder blades. She also involuntarily replaced her English accent with a New York accent since she was on assignment in New York so long.

Eugene, a native New Yorker, had short brown hair with blonde highlights. He was distantly related to her late Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Both he and Hermione were of medium height. They were dressed in black. Hermione had a Zorro-like mask, a black form-fitting short-sleeved shirt, black jeans, black boots, and a light black jacket. Eugene had on a Phantom of the Opera-type mask and was dressed the same as Hermione.

"Stakeouts ain't supposed to be fun, Eugene. And she will be here. She has to meet with what's left of her company of conspirators. Besides, our source has never lead us in the wrong direction." Hermione replied matter-of-factly. "And when she does come, you have better not do that thing you always do." she warned.

He nodded silently and both turned their gaze back at the entrance.

So far she had captured 7 out of the 10 Death Eaters...no thanks to Eugene. He always managed to mess up their tasks in such a way that the Death Eater nearly got away every time. That, or Eugene would run away from the scene with fear in his eyes and show up days later to apologize. Even though she was friends him, Hermione decided that if Eugene's actions were sub-par in this capture, she would request to work alone. Tonight's target was Bellatrix Lestrange.

It was just past midnight when a hooded figure entered the Great Lawn.

"That's our mark. I told you she'd be here. Remember, it's all about team work. You cover for me and I cover for you. Team work." Hermione calmly whispered to Eugene and gave him a small smile of reassurance.

He breathed in deeply and finally said, "Got it. Team work."

"Let's get down from here quickly and quietly." she said as she tied up her hair into a ponytail.

Bellatrix was headed in their general direction now and was getting closer by the second. Hermione had managed to climb down the tree silently with ease and took out her wand. Eugene, tried to follow suit but ended up falling and saying, "AHHH!! OOOOFF!"

Hermione inwardly groaned and looked at Eugene as if she were ready to kill him. Now their cover was blown.

Bellatrix stopped for a moment and looked in their direction. She took out her wand and cautiously walked towards them. At that moment, Hermione and Eugene came out from behind the tree.

Before Bellatrix could strike, Eugene took out his wand and called out, "STUPEFY!" He had redeemed himself because Bellatrix took a fall. Amazingly she recovered and yelled back, "CRUCIO!" but missed Eugene by inches. Hermione yelled, "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" but Bellatrix dodged it.

Now Hermione and Bellatrix were attacking each other. It made for a colorful light show to the passersby. Eugene found a big baseball-sized rock and was carefully positioning himself.

"AVADA --- ohh..."

Eugene hit her square in the head and knocked her out. Hermione said, "Pertificus Totalus" and Eugene said, "Wingardium Leviosa."

"You got a good arm, Eugene." Hermione smiled at him. She was proud of her partner, even though he did ruin her plan of action.

"Thanks Mione. Let's take her back to the MIB headquarters."

They started to leave but both Hermione and Eugene shuddered as a sudden chill went up their spines. They turned around and saw 20 tall hooded figures quickly heading their way. 

Hermione gasped, "DEMENTORS!"

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A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


	2. Back to School

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Chapter Two: Back to School

"DEMENTORS!?" Eugene shrieked. He was so stricken with terror that he dropped their unconscious captured fugitive, Bellatrix Lestrange, on the ground and started to run away.

"COME BACK HERE YOU COWARD!" Hermione angrily yelled at him to no avail. He Disapparated. "BASTARD!"

Now all alone on the Great Lawn of Central Park, Hermione had to fend for herself against 20 dementors.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!!" She yelled as a large cheetah formed from the tip of a wand. She really was a cat person. However, her patronus was only able to get rid of 5 dementors. She yelled the spell 3 more times rapidly.

Suddenly, she felt something slimy grab her wrist and her body went cold. The dementor was about to Kiss her. Luckily, her patronus came to her rescue in the nick of time.

Within minutes, all the dementors were gone and Hermione was alone, catching her breath, on the lawn with the still unconscious Bellatrix.

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'I need some chocolate,' Hermione thought to herself. She still felt cold. _'How did they get here? How did they find me? And who the hell sent them?' _But she didn't have time to think about this just yet; she needed to get back to the Magical Intelligence Bureau's headquarters with Bellatrix before she woke up.

"Petrificus Totalus. Accio wand. Mobilicorpus," Hermione said and Bellatrix's body rose from the grass. Hermione pocketed the wand and Apparated to the MIB.

The MIB was a large complex three stories underneath the United Nations headquarters and could be accessed by a sequence of tapping on bricks on a nearby building.

Hermione headed towards the Criminal Detainment Department with Bellatrix in tow. She was welcomed with congratulations and praise from her fellow Aurors. She handed one of the Aurors Bellatrix's wand. Hermione then placed her body in a high security holding cell. She would be later transferred back to Azkaban, but this time, in a maximum security jail cell with a guard in front of her cell. All of the captured Death Eaters were now strategically placed in Azkaban so that they were as far away from each other as possible.

Even though it was very early in the morning, Hermione immediately went up to MIB Director Colin Judge's office. She knew that he practically lived in his office and never seemed to need sleep. _'Must be strong coffee he drinks,_' she mused. But before going in, she bought herself a chocolate bar from the vending machine. What she liked about the MIB was that it incorporated things from both the wizarding and muggle world together.

She stopped in front of a door and said "Chamomile". The door swung opened and she entered. Director Judge, sitting behind his desk, put down a case file and looked at her. 

"Secret Auror Granger. Have a seat. I must commend you on a job very well done. I just received memo from the C.D.D. that you and Quirrell captured the elusive Bellatrix Lestrange." He smiled at her. He reminded her of a nicer, taller, and handsome Cornelius Fudge. Just like herself, he had a thick New York accent.

"Yes, but that's not completely true, sir." Hermione received a look from the Director that said "Tell me what happened".

"Although Secret Agent Quirrell did aid in capturing Lestrange, he fled the scene when dementors began to attack us. I single-handedly defended myself against 20 dementors and brought Lestrange to headquarters. One of the dementors almost Kissed me."

"What!?" he said in disbelief.

"Sir, I would like to formally complain about Secret Auror Quirrell's actions. As you already know, it's not the first time he's done this. He's ran away on all of the assignments that we've worked one only to return days later to apologize. He is a friend and it pains me to say this. It is my opinion that he is unfit to be a Secret Auror -- or regular Auror for that matter. I don't need a partner. I've practically completed all the assignments myself. I am fully qualified to work alone. I want to work alone." 

Director Judge was silent for a moment. He looked at the case file on his desk and then back at her.

"Granger, I'm gonna give you the OK to work without a partner. You're the best Auror I've seen in years and there's no doubt that you can take care of yourself. When Quirrell does show up, I'm going to have a long talk with him and inform you about his future status with the MIB." He gave her a small smile.

"Thank you, sir," she said as she smiled back.

"But I'm gonna have to send you back to England." Judge said in a serious tone. He had on a serious face to match. 

"What!?" Hermione panicked. _'Didn't he just say that I was the best Auror he seen in years? New York City has become a second home for me. I don't want to leave just yet,' _she quickly thought to herself.

"On assignment, of course." He grinned.

"I hate your sense of humor, Judge." she said as relief washed over her.

"Ha ha, I know. It's the perfect assignment for you. Its a tough one though. A couple of hours ago, I received intel from our inside man on what Antonin Dolohov and Augustus Rookwood are up to."

"The last two of the 10 Death Eaters to be captured," Hermione supplied as she nodded.

"Yeah. It appears that the both of them are going back to England. Maybe they think that they'll have home court advantage there. They plan to infiltrate a school there. A Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. From what I understand, you attended this school."

"That's right, sir. What do they want in Hogwarts?"

"It's not what, it's who. Our inside man, Vinny, says that they're planning on murdering a teacher there. One Severus Snape. But Vinny didn't find out why this Snape character is their target."

"I think I know. Snape is a Death Eater turned double agent. Dolohov and Rookwood must have found out about this."

"Sounds logical. I informed his superior, Albus Dumbledore, about their plan to kill Snape. Dumbledore requested somebody from the MIB to act as a bodyguard for him. He requested you."

Hermione was shocked. "I have to be bodyguard to Snape!? You're right. This is a tough assignment."

Judge chuckled. "Yeah, Dumbledore mentioned that you two didn't become the best of friends while you went there. Anyway, he said that you know the floor plan of Hogwarts better than anyone else."

"That's true." She quickly thought about Harry's Marauder's Map. "So, does Snape know about this yet?"

"No, Dumbledore wants to inform him once you arrive at Hogwarts. I'm also gonna contact the Director of Aurors Shacklebolt at the Ministry of Magic and let him know you're gonna be visiting for a while."

"When do I leave?"

"In two days. Here's your case file and Dolohov's and Rookwood's dossiers. Read them. Memorize them. And be careful. They know someone's after them. They don't know who just yet."

"I'll read them. And I'm always careful." Hermione took the files. "You think that they somehow found out about tonight's sting? You think they're the ones who sent the dementors?"

"It would make sense. Sacrifice Lestrange, kill whomever's after them, then flee the country."

Hermione nodded. "But how they found out is still hazy." Judge nodded in agreement. He didn't know either.

"Maybe there's a mole in the MIB."

"Maybe." Silence filled the room as they both pondered about this possibility.

Hermione was the first to break the silence. "Well, if that's all sir..."

"That's all, Granger. Go home, get some sleep, and read over the files. I'll handle Quirrell. And you really did do a great job today. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, sir. I'll be sure to send back weekly progress reports." Hermione said as she and Director Judge shook hands. "Good night, sir. And you try to get some sleep too."

"I'll will. Good night."

Hermione left the office and Apparated to her apartment in Little Italy, in the lower east side of Manhattan.

She went to her bedroom and placed the files on her desk. She looked at the clock. It read 2:40am. _'I'll take a shower later, then. I'm too tired.'_ She changed into her pajamas and immediately went to bed.

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'Bodyguard to Snape...and he doesn't know yet...I could have fun with breaking the news to him...heh, heh, heh...'

Hermione then fell asleep with a mischievous smirk on her face.

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A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


	3. Vinny the Snoop

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Chapter Three: Vinny the Snoop

Hermione woke up the next morning and took a long shower. When she was done, she sat on her couch and thoroughly read over the files Director Judge gave her earlier. While reading her case file, she said, "Ooo, I have a cover story on this case. Interesting . Have to live in Hogwarts too. I guess that's reasonable." By noon, she had memorized them. 

An owl appeared by her window. She untied the roll of parchment from the owl and it flew away. It read:

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Granger - 

Thought you'd like to know that Lestrange will be transferred back to Azkaban later this afternoon. The media won't know about it until tonight. Good luck in England.

- Judge

"How thoughtful of him."

With nothing to do she got changed and went out for a walk. _'This will be the last time I'll see this beautiful city for a while.'_

After a couple of hours of walking around, she headed back to her apartment. On her way back she saw one of her co-workers half a block ahead of her.

"HEY VINNY!"

She caught up with a tall brown-haired man who turned around. "Hey Mione. Great job capturing Lestrange."

"I couldn't have done it without the info you got for us. Thanks."

"Fuggheddaboudit, sweetheart. It was nothing. So I hear you're going back to Jolly Ol' England tomorrow."

She laughed. "Yeah, that's right. I'm gonna miss ya, Vinny the Snoop." 

"I'll miss you too, Kick Ass Mione. Remember, if you need anything, you know who to call."

"While you're offering, can you take care of my car? You're the only one I trust enough. This is a great responsibility and I swear, if anything happens to it, I'll kill you."

He laughed. "I'll guard it with my life. But on two conditions."

"What?"

"I get to _carefully_ drive it every once in a while. I promise to fill the gas tank."

"Fine, as long as you're careful. What's the other condition."

"You put those bastards back where they belong."

"Deal." She smiled at him and shook hands. They hugged and said their good byes.

Hermione went back to her apartment and ate dinner and went to sleep.

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A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


	4. An Enigma

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Chapter Four: An Enigma

Hermione woke up bright and early and took a shower. "Today's the day I go back. Hmm...I'll be on assignment. Better dress in Secret Auror uniform. I should have some firearms on my person too."

When she was done, she opened a small suit case, that had an Expandable Charm on it, and looked around her small apartment and took out her wand. "Pack!" All her possessions flew to the suitcase and was packed neatly. She shrunk her suit case and charmed it so that it wouldn't weight so much. She pocketed her suitcase.

Since she was a Secret Auror, Hermione had the privilege of Apparating anywhere around the world. It was 8 o'clock in England right now. Her meeting with Dumbledore at Hogwarts was at 11 o'clock. Since it was early, she decided to Apparate to Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley was not as crowded as she expected. She went to Gringotts first and exchanged her American Muggle money for Wizarding currency. She also took out a large amount of money from her vault. The money in there could now rival the large amount of money in Harry's vault. She then entered one of the shops and bought rolls of parchment, many bottles of ink, and a few quills. She also bought an owl and named it Crook, after her late cat, Crookshanks. It was a dark brown owl with a white face. Hermione also went to Flourish and Blotts to buy books to read in her leisure time. Her thirst for knowledge never died after becoming an Auror.

It was now 9:30 am. Hermione decided to visit Hogsmeade. Her arrival there was nostalgic. She reminisced about the Dumbledore's Army meeting at Hog's Head. _'Those were great times.'_

Hermione went to an Owlery and sent all of her purchases and her suitcase to Dumbledore. She attached a note to it:

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Professor Dumbledore - 

Please keep these things safe. I'll see you soon.

- Hermione Granger

After passing by all the shops, she decided to go to the Three Broomsticks and order a drink. On her way there, she picked up a copy of the _Daily Prophet_. She entered the Three Broomsticks and noticed that it was fairly empty. She sat down at a small round table. Madam Rosmerta noticed her and walked from behind the bar to her.

"What can I get for you, dear?"

"Gimme a butterbeer, please."

"Oh, I love your accent. Are you an American?"

"No, but I consider myself to be an American. I've been livin' there for a couple of years now. The accent's from New York. I'm here on vacation."

"How lovely!" Madam Rosmerta said as she went to go get her drink. She was back in an instant. Hermione handed her some money.

"Enjoy your drink and enjoy your stay."

"Thanks."

Hermione looked at the cover of the _Daily Prophet_. The headline was "**BELLARIX LESTRANGE CAUGHT!**" Underneath there was a photo of Bellatrix inside the holding cell Hermione put her in. She read a bit of the article.

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"The Magical Intelligence Bureau in America announced last night that Bellatrix Lestrange had been caught. She is the eighth Death Eater to be caught out of the ten that escaped. MIB Director Colin Judge said, 'I'm very proud of my Aurors. This capture is a triumph for the wizarding world.'"

'Yep, I did that,' she said to herself as she drank her butterbeer.

The door to the Three Broomsticks opened. Hermione looked up to see who just entered. _'Just the man I was looking for.' _ A small smirk appeared on her face.

Severus Snape, looking more annoyed than she remembered, sat down at one of the booths in the far end of the room. He was right in Hermione's line of sight. She put down her newspaper on the table and motioned for Madam Rosmerta.

"Yes, dear?"

"I'd like to buy that man a firewhiskey. He looks like he needs one."

"I know him. He might not accept your drink."

"Send it to him anyway. Here." Hermione handed her a couple of Sickles and watched Rosmerta walk to Snape. She turned in Snape's direction and crossed her legs. She managed to hear their conversation.

Madam Rosmerta walked to Snape and placed a glass of firewhiskey in front of him.

"You read my mind, Rosmerta," he said as he started to hand her some money.

"No need to pay for it. It's compliments of the young woman over there. If I were you, I'd strike up a conversation with her." With that she went back to the bar.

He was shocked. No one ever buys him a drink.

Snape then noticed the young woman Rosmerta was talking about. She was wearing a tight black spaghetti strap tank top and black leather pants. Both of which showed off her curves. She also had on black high-heeled boots, a black cloak that was fastened around her neck, and black sunglasses. Her hair was down. It was long, straight, and auburn.

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'I don't know who she is, but I like her sense of style,' Snape thought.

Hermione smiled at him from behind her sunglasses and raised an eyebrow as she raised her glass to him as if to say, "Cheers" and took a sip of her butterbeer.

Snaoe took his firewhiskey and walked to Hermione's table.

"Is this seat taken?" He politely asked. 

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'Is he being nice? He must not recognize me. This is pretty funny.'

"No, it's not. You're welcome to sit down," Hermione said. Her voice was silky and mature. It was pleasing to the ear.

Snape sat down. "Why did you order me a drink?"

"You looked like you needed one. You seemed pissed off."

"'Pissed off'?"

"Angry, irritated, upset. Take your pick." 

"'Pissed off' sounds right. I have a meeting with my superior today. I can't imagine what he wants."

"Ahh. I understand the feeling."

"Not from around here are you?"

"I am actually. But I've been living in the States for some time now. New York, to be exact. I thought it was time to come back home for a visit. You?"

"I've lived here all my life. Severus Snape." He extended his hand.

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'How unusual. He's being civil and polite. He'll find out later at the meeting who I am.' Hermione thought. "I know who you are. It's nice to meet you Severus Snape," she said as shook his hand.

There was a moment of silence between them. "Usually, when someone introduces himself, the other person does the same," he said a bit annoyed.

Hermione grinned. "You can call me an enigma."

Snape was now frustrated. He was actually being friendly. Did she not understand the significance of that?

"Fine, Enigma." He noticed that 'Enigma' had something strapped onto each of her thighs and a small silver thing clipped on her pant pocket. "What are those," he said as he motioned at legs.

"These things on my thighs are Muggle firearms. And this little thing here is called a cell phone," she said as she unclipped her phone and flipped it open to show him.

"It's a common device Muggles use for communicating."

Snape looked at it. "How peculiar."

"Yeah, I suppose it is. But it's easy to use." She looked at her phone. The clock on it read "10:30am". She wanted to meet Dumbledore early.

"Well, I gotta go. I have to meet an old friend. It was nice talkin' to ya," Hermione said as she finished off her butterbeer.

"So soon?" He paused. "Will I see you again?"

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'Aww, he must like me. Geez, that's weird coming from him.' 

"Don't worry about that, hon. I'm sure we'll meet again. Enjoy your drink and I hope your meeting with your boss goes well. Here, you can have my paper."

Hermione stood up and left the Three Broomsticks. Snape watched her leave. _'I hope I do see her again. She seems familiar too. Where do I know her from?' _he thought.

He looked at the front page of the _Daily Prophet_ as he drank his firewhiskey.

He smirked as he read the bold headline, "**BELLATRIX LESTRANGE CAUGHT!**"

He continued to read the newspaper. When he was finished with the article, he looked at the time. _'Better be off. I have to meet Dumbledore soon.' _He took the newspaper and made his way to Hogwarts.

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A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


	5. Introductions

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Chapter Five: Introductions

Hermione walked to the front door of Hogwarts. A gust of wind welcomed her as she opened the door. Her cloak billowed. At the end of the hall she saw a tall bearded man walking towards her.

"Ms. Granger, I presume. Welcome back!"

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."

"You're welcome to call me 'Albus' instead of 'Professor' if you like. That goes for the rest of the staff. We'll be working together as equals."

"Thank you, Prof --- Albus. I'm honored. You can call me by my first name too. Did you receive my belongings?"

"Yes I did. I sent them to your chambers. Let's sit at my office and chat." They started walking to the gargoyle statue. "Every Flavored Beans."

The gargoyle moved aside. The room hadn't changed much since her 7th year.

"Every Flavored Bean?" Dumbledore offered.

"Thank you," Hermione said as she sat down. _'Phew! Vanilla.'_

"How was your trip, Hermione?" Dumbledore asked as he sat down behind his desk.

"Nostaglic. I bumped into Snape at the Three Broomsticks earlier. It was so funny. He didn't recognize me at all. But that might be because I was wearing my sunglasses."

Dumbledore chuckled. His blue eyes were twinkling. "Why are you still wearing them in here?"

She laughed. "I'm planning to shock Snape when I reveal my identity. The expression on his face is gonna be priceless." She smiled widely as Dumbledore laughed.

The door to Dumbledore's office opened. "Speak of the devil," Dumbledore said quietly to her. They both grinned.

"I'm here, Dumbledore. What is it that you want?" Snape said irritably as he walked into the room.

"Ahh, Severus Snape. We meet again," Hermione said slowly in a low voice from her seat.

Snape looked to see where that voice was coming from.

"The Enigma." He smirked. His tone softened a bit. "What are you doing here?"

"Meeting an old friend."

"My apologies for interrupting," Snape said to her.

"You're not interrupting, Severus. This meeting is for the three of us. From what I hear, you two have yet to be formally re-introduced," Dumbledore said.

Snape looked confused and raised an eyebrow slightly. "'Re-introduced', you say?"

Hermione smirked. She got up from her seat and pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. She walked up to him until she was facing him. He was about a forehead taller than her.

"Secret Auror Hermione Granger. We meet again." she said as she extended her hand.

Snape was taken aback. His eyes widened and his face was a mix of surprise and bewilderment. _'This woman is Granger!?' _Meanwhile, Hermione was trying her best not to laugh. _'Priceless,'_ she thought. After a moment, Snape recovered.

"Ms. Granger. We do meet again. A Secret Auror. I have to admit, I am impressed." He shook her hand for the second time that day. "You look different. It is no wonder I did not recognize you."

She looked at herself. "I look different? I suppose I'm a bit taller and more muscular. My hair's auburn and straight -- no longer bushy. My voice is different too. I suppose you're right."

"Well done, Ms. Granger," he said sarcastically.

"I see you still have my newspaper," Hermione said.

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Snape said.

"Why don't you two sit down." They both did. "Hermione, why don't you tell us what you've been up to since you graduated," Dumbledore said. They both looked at her.

"Alright. My O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. grades helped me become an Auror at the age of 19. Director of Aurors Kingsley Shacklebolt tested my skills with difficult assignments. I'm sure you two are familiar with him." Shacklebolt was part of the Order of the Phoenix with Snape and Dumbledore. 

"I completed all my assignments successfully, quickly, and thoroughly. I was then promoted to Secret Auror at age 20. I love my job. It tests my skills of Transfigurations, Charms, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts everyday. Anyway, six months after I was promoted there was a Death Eater breakout at Azkaban."

"Yes. The same Death Eaters that escaped during your 5th year were the same who escaped two years ago," Dumbledore said.

She nodded at him. "You got it. Director Shacklebolt must have trusted me a lot because he assigned me a very difficult and time-consuming case -- to capture the Death Eaters that escaped. I did that," Hermione said as she pointed to the newspaper in Snape's hand. Both men were in awe and raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"Anyway, the case brought me to New York City where I was assigned a partner. Eugene Quirrell, also a newly appointed Secret Auror. He's distantly related to Professor Quirrell. We made 8 captures in New York...actually, I made the captures. On the last one, when Lestrange was caught, you won't believe what he did. He ---"

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RING-RING!! Hermione's cell phone cut her off. She looked at who was calling. It was Quirrell. She sighed and felt anger rise up in her.

"You mind if I take this call?"

"Go right ahead, Hermione," Dumbledore said to her. 

"You guys can listen in on this conversation. Should be interesting." She took out her wand and pointed it at her cell phone, "Sonorus." She answered.

"State your business, Quirrell." Hints of anger were in her business-like tone.

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"Mione, I am so sorry I left you like that." Both Snape and Dumbledore were amazed that a voice was coming out of that small object.

"'Sorry'? I've been hearing that a lot from you. You make it a habit to flee in fear halfway through each capture leaving me to pick up the slack."

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"I promise it won't happen again. I'm sorry I left. I just got scared and -- "

"YOU LEFT ME IN THAT PARK SURROUNDED BY 20 FUCKIN' DEMENTORS!!! THAT IS NOT HOW A SECRET AUROR ACTS!!! I WAS SCARED TOO YOU MORON!!!"

There was silence.

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"I-I'm s-sorry. Let me make it up to you. I'll buy you dinner or ---, " 

"No dice. I'm on assignment. And even if I wasn't, I would refuse. You really screwed up."

Silence. _"You're on assignment...by yourself?" _

"Yeah. Judge is allowing me to work alone -- without an incompetent partner tagging along."

__

"But I thought we were a team..."

"Leaving me alone to defend myself against a group of dementors is not team work. It's nowhere near it." She said dangerously slow and low.

__

"Give me another chance, please..."

"No. Fuggheddaboudit. You can beg to Director Judge. I'm done talking to you and don't you dare call me again or I'll kill you." Hermione ended the call and pointed her wand at it. "Quietus."

Hermione looked at Snape and Dumbledore. There was a eerie silence between them. Hermione calmed down during this break.

"You were surrounded by 20 dementors?" Snape asked quietly in disbelief.

"Yeah. No thanks to that asshole. I was almost Kissed by one too." She said bitterly. Both men looked at her in shock.

Hermione smiled at them. "I'm still here. Don't worry about me. We should be worrying about you, Snape."

"What do I have to do with this?"

"You're the reason I'm here. You see, after Lestrange was in custody, I found out that the last two Death Eaters to be captured, Dolohov and Rookwood, had fled back to England. They're out for blood. Your blood. They want to kill you...maybe torture you a bit too. I believe that they somehow found out that you're on our side, that you're a traitor. Anyway, Judge informed Dumbledore."

"I requested a bodyguard for you, Severus. What is one more line of protection?" Dumbledore said.

"I can take care of myself from those two," Snape said dismissively.

"Under the circumstances, it's now my job to take care of you. I'm your bodyguard."

"I do not need to be babysat," he sneered.

"I have no intention of becoming your second shadow. But I'll be around. They plan to infiltrate Hogwarts to kill you." Snape looked as if he was ready to argue. "Just live with it! You can't argue with Albus against this. He's like the Godfather."

Snape looked at Dumbledore. No matter how much he hated to admit it, he knew she was right. _'Damn that old man.'_

After a while Snape finally said in a low voice, "Fine. How will you accomplish this without anyone knowing you are here?"

"Everyone will know that Hermione is here," Dumbledore said.

"Professor Flitwick is on sabbatical. I'm going to be teaching Charms for one year. I'm more than qualified to do it."

"Hermione's chambers will be near yours in the dungeons, Severus. There is a door in each of your chambers that connects the two rooms together."

"Why?"

"Hey, I don't like the idea either, hon. But if I'm to be a good bodyguard, I have to be in close proximity to the person I'm guarding."

"Isn't your life in danger too, Ms. Granger?" Snape said.

"My life's always in danger," she said dismissively. "But I'm fairly safe at the moment. Dolohov and Rookwood only know that someone is watching them. They don't know it's me. Right now, it's more important that we make sure you're safe from them. And speaking of which, here's what I want you to do, Snape. You are not to open any packages you receive. I'll check it out and make sure it's safe. You are to inform me of your whereabouts at all times -- whether you're going inside or outside of the castle."

"Any other requests, Ms. Granger?" Snape was angry, to say the least.

"Yes, in fact. But it's of you Albus."

"What can I do for you?" Dumbledore smiled and his eyes twinkled.

"When the Quidditch pitch is not in use, I would like to use it as a training area for myself."

"Of course, Hermione."

"Thank you." She smiled.

"Do you have any idea as to how they will attack?" Dumbledore asked Hermione.

"I have a few working theories, but I'm not totally sure. I guess we'll have to be pleasantly surprised. Anyway, the whole staff will be informed of your situation during tonight's dinner, Snape. They will be my extra eyes and ears around here. Any questions?"

Snape groaned. _'This is going to be a terrible year.'_

"No, Ms. Granger. I think you covered it all during all of your yapping," Snape said.

"Good. Well, I'm going to my chambers to unpack. And where will you be, hon?"

"Do not call me 'hon', Ms. Granger. You can find me in my chambers."

"Oh good. We'll go to the dungeons together, then. Good bye, Albus. I'll see you at dinner."

"Good bye, Hermione. Good bye, Severus."

Snape rose out of his seat quickly and headed for the door. Hermione followed him to the dungeons.

****

A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


	6. The Package

****

Chapter Six: The Package

Within minutes of leaving Dumbledore's office, Snape and Hermione had entered the dungeons. Snape stopped in front of a painting of knight. _'My own knight in shining armor,'_ Hermione thought.

"Your chambers, Ms. Granger. Mine are three paintings down. And if you want to speak to me, I would appreciate it if you went to my portrait - not through that bloody connecting door," said Snape.

"Of course. I know how you like your privacy," Hermione replied.

She watched him as he walked to his painting and murmured his password and disappeared from the hallway. A voice called back her attention.

"Good afternoon, my lady. I am Sir Henry Rhode. What would you like your password to be?" Her portrait was speaking to her.

"Oh! Good afternoon, Sir Henry. I'm Hermione Granger. My password will be..." She thought a moment. _'Something no one would ever say...unusual to wizards...I know...'_

"My password will be 'Smokey Joe's Cafe'" 

"Very well, my lady." He bowed and let her in.

Hermione gasped. Her quarters was more like a mini apartment. It was beautiful. It put her Prefect and Head Girl rooms to shame. The living room was light blue with white trim. There was a large bookshelf, a fireplace, and a couch. Her bedroom were the Gryffindor colors, scarlet walls with gold trim. Her bathroom was light green with white trim. All in all, her chambers were cozy.

She noticed that there was an owl waiting for her on her desk. She recognized it immediately. 

"Hedwig! Come here. How have you been?"

Hedwig hooted happily. Hermione untied the envelope from her.

__

Mione - 

I heard you're protecting Snape now. You have my deepest sympathies. This should be useful in keeping track of that greasy git. If he does anything to you, you let me know and I'll beat the living day lights out of him.

- Harry

She looked in the envelope. Harry had sent her the Marauder's Map. She smiled and look out a piece of parchment from the drawer.

__

Dear Harry - 

Thank you so much! Snape won't do anything to me. Dumbledore would kill him before I have a chance to.

- Hermione 

She tied the letter to Hedwig and it left. She unpacked her belongings at a record pace. Exhausted, she headed for the bedroom and took a quick nap. When she awoke, she noticed that it was almost time for dinner. She still had on the same clothes from earlier. She brushed her hair and went to the Great Hall. 

Hermione entered the Hall and saw all of her former teachers. She was welcomed first by Professor McGonagall. After all of the greetings, everyone sat down at the High Table to eat. Hermione was seated in between McGonagall and Snape. Snape was still scowling. Dumbledore, who was sitting next to McGonagall, stood up.

"Before we eat, I would like to welcome back Hermione Granger. She will be taking over Filius' position while he is away. I hope you have a successfully year."

Hermione smiled at him, knowing that his comment about a "successful year" had two meanings. Taking her cue when he sat back down, she stood up.

"Thank you. As Albus has said, I will be the new Charms professor and Ravenclaw's Head of House. I promise to fulfill and surpass all requirements these positions entail. However, there is another reason why I am back at Hogwarts."

This perked up everyone's attention.

"You all know I work for the Aurory. I was sent here to protect a member of this staff. The person in question is the man to my right, Mr. Severus Snape. There is a plot to kill him and it my job to make sure it does not happen. It is important that you all be aware of your surroundings and be vigilant. If you notice anything strange, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, I would appreciate it if you informed me immediately."

"Who is plotting against Severus?"

"Two escaped Death Eaters from Azkaban, Antonin Dolohov and Augustus Rookwood."

As she sat down, there was a murmur among the professors. Everyone then began to eat.

"Hermione, dear, how do you like your job as an Auror?" Madam Hooch asked.

"It's dangerous, exciting, challenging. I love it," Hermione said between bites.

"What are Ron and Harry up to?" Professor Sprout asked.

"Ron's currently Keeper for the Chudley Cannons and Harry is working on becoming a Secret Auror."

"That's wonderful," she replied.

"Why are you wearing all black? I thought only Severus does that," McGonagall said.

Snape glared at McGonagall. She smiled back at him. Hermione noticed this and laughed.

"All of the clothes I own are black so it's not like I had much choice. Secret Aurors are required to wear black on assignment. It's our uniform."

"Hermione, did you know that Divination is no longer part of the Hogwarts curriculum. Sybill Trelawney has left us," McGonagall said, horribly trying to suppress a grin. It was no secret that McGonagall, Hermione, and the majority of the staff could not stand Sybill Trelawney.

"YEA!" Hermione shrieked while wearing a huge smile. "I-I mean...awwww...ohhhhh..." She immediately changed her cheerful face into a sorrowful one. "What a tragedy...I guess we'll just have to party without her." Hermione smiled and waggled one of her eyebrows. Everyone sitting at the High Table laughed. She turned to her right and saw that Snape was laughing too. _'He looks 10 years younger when he smiles. Did I just think that!?'_

After that, dinner was calm. Everyone seemed to be engaged in their own side conversations. Hermione and McGonagall were still on the topic of Sybill Trelawney. They were cracking jokes about her "inner eye" and laughing like hyenas. Snape didn't even realize that he was staring at them when Professor Sprout spoke.

"Different, isn't she? She seems happier." Sprout asked.

"Who?" he asked as he was pulled out of his daze.

"Hermione. You were staring at her."

"I was not staring."

"Did I hear my name? My ears are burning," Hermione asked as she turned to them and caught them by surprise. Sprout blushed while Snape looked as if nothing happened. 

"Oh, I was just about to tell Severus you seem happier than when we last saw you. And that it's not a characteristic I would have had associated with an Auror."

"Just because I have a serious job doesn't mean that I can't have fun. And after all my experiences in this line of work, I've learned that it's easier to deal with things if you just loosen up. It gets rid of the tension and anxiety. And just in case I didn't learn that on my own, my fellow Aurors instilled that in me. Merlin knows someone could have taught me this earlier. All I ever thought about were grades and exams while I was a student here."

Snape smirked. "You were a bit obsessive."

Sprout and Hermione chuckled. "No kidding," Hermione replied.

Just then, two owls hooted loudly as they entered the Great Hall. It caught everybody's attention. The two owls were carrying a large square box together. It landed on Hermione's lap. Everyone, including Snape, looked at her. It was uncommon to receive mail during dinner time.

"Ooo, who is it from?" Sprout asked.

"From Director Shacklebolt." She read the letter aloud.

__

Auror Granger - 

Welcome back! I'm very proud of your work at the MIB. Put this into good use. Director Judge said that you would like it. It's the latest model.

- Shacklebolt

Hermione was puzzled. _'What on earth would he send me?' _She took out her pocket knife and cut open the tape on the box. She gasped and broadly grinned. _'Oh that sweet man! I'll have to write him a Thank You note.'_

"What is it Hermione? You look as if Christmas came early," McGonagall said.

She quickly turned to McGonagall. "That's because it has! I have a new toy. I'm so happy!" She looked out the window. It was nearly dark outside. _'Perfect!' _ Hermione put the box on the floor. She wolfed down the rest of her dinner and chugged down the rest of her drink.

"Where are your manners, Ms. Granger?" Snape asked.

"Not here." After wiping her mouth, she quickly asked Dumbledore, "May I be excused?"

He smiled with amusement and chuckled. "Of course dear. Where are you going?"

Hermione was already half way out the door with her package when she yelled, "Quidditch pitch! And Snape -- " She stopped in her tracks and turned around, "You are not to leave the grounds unescorted. However, you are free to walk the corridors alone." She ran out the door to the field.

Snape groaned and sulked in his seat. _'Damn know-it-all bodyguard. What happened to 'loosen up'?'_

Everyone chuckled and went back to their dinner. Moments later they were all finishing up their dinner.

**__**

BOOM!!!

All of the professors were alarmed and immediately looked at the direction of the sound.

It came from the Quidditch pitch.

****

A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


	7. Let The Game Begin

****

Chapter Seven: Let The Game Begin

**__**

BBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!! The second sound echoed in the Great Hall. This time it felt as if the whole castle shook.

"Hermione!" McGonagall gasped.

Abandoning the remnants of their dinners, all the professors immediately ran out to the Quidditch pitch. What they saw made them all gasp and slow down their running to a cautious walk. Although the stands were intact, the perfect grass field was now covered in rubble. The grass was upturned, but the soil was not all brown. There was a scattering of rainbow of colored dots everywhere. 

"What happened!?" cried Madam Hooch.

"What's more important is where Ms. Granger is," said Snape in a calm, almost superior, voice.

They heard a faint, "Ughhh...owww..." in the distance. It was Hermione. She was lying flat on her back. 

"It that you Hermione?" asked Dumbledore.

"DAMMIT!" Hermione screamed in anger. Her black tank top, pants, and cloak were now every color of the visible spectrum. She noticed that her former professors were hovering over her. "Oh, hi there. What you all doing here?" Hermione asked as she got up and dusted herself off.

"What did you do to my field!?" yelled Madam Hooch.

"Oh, thank you for asking. Why, except for the ringing in my ears, I'm fine. Your concern for my well being makes me ever so happy. And just in case you're wondering, I didn't do anything to your _precious _field. Look." Hermione flipped open the face to a device that was strapped onto her wrist. She pressed a button and the Quidditch field turned back to normal. It was as if someone had turned off a television. Hermione's clothing was black again.

"See, your field is untouched."

"How did you do that? What sort of magic was that?" asked Remus Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"It's not magic. Well, it kinda is. It's Muggle technology. Virtual reality. Holograms. Very high-tech. State-of-the-art. It works the best at night." She paused and saw that everyone was confused. "You see those silver discs outlining the field? Those are very powerful image projectors."

"But we heard two loud explosions," Lupin said.

"Wow, those speakers pack a punch. Those white boxes next to each disc is a speaker. They emit sounds."

"But Muggle technology is not able to function at Hogwarts. How did you get it to work?" asked Professor Sinistra.

"I charm all the electronics that I own so that they work wherever I am. I hope you don't mind, Albus."

"Not at all, Hermione. But you did give us quite a scare," Albus said smiling. "So this is what Shacklebolt sent you?"

"YEP!" she answered enthusiastically. "It's the latest in Muggle and magical combat training that the Aurory has to offer. There are missions and you can change the difficulty level too. It's like a real-life video game. But you guys wouldn't know anything about that. Each player can have as many weapons as they can carry on their person and choose from an assortment of Muggle firearms. And of course you get a fake wand." She lifted the two guns in her hand to show them.

"They look like toys, I know. But when the system is turned on, these things act like real guns. You have to load them, they recoil and everything. When you shoot, it makes a paintball mark so that you can see if you hit your target. The wands are the same. And when you get hit, you feel the pain. It's really exhilarating. Oh and the sounds that you guys heard...I threw a grenade and then set off a string of land mines. I am so angry that I didn't see it." There was a silence. The teachers were trying to process what Hermione said.

"You can feel pain from this game?" asked a dumbfounded Professor Sinistra.

"Yeah. And injuries appear to bleed too. It's very realistic. And speak of which, in the combats the generated images feel like real people. Solid, not imaginary. So, you guys wanna play? It's so much fun!" The professors murmured uneasily.

"Umm...why don't we watch you in action instead, Hermione," McGonagall said as the rest of the group nodded. Hermione sighed.

"Alright. But you don't know what you're missing. You all can sit in the Professors' Box in the stands. You should get a good view from there."

Hermione tied up her hair into a high ponytail and threw her traveling cloak to the side. She decided to use only Muggle firearms. _'The professors would be most unfamiliar with these.' _She had small pistols in each of her hip holsters, one rifle strapped to her shoulders, and machine gun in hand. She put on a small earpiece in her right ear that had a microphone attached to it. She looked like a force to be reckoned with. Hermione looked up at the stands and saw her little audience watching her.

She used the wrist control to turn on the system. A computerized female voice boomed from the speakers.

__

"Welcome to Auror Special Training, Version 9.0. Please state your difficulty level: Easy, Normal or Hard. Please state your Mission number."

"Hard. Mission One."

__

"Difficulty level set at Hard. Mission One: Target Training Using Muggle Firearms. Objective: Hit all enemy targets and reach the end of the field without being killed. Task One: The Street. Practice begins in 5...4...3...2...1...Go!"

The Quidditch field turned into a deserted city street. Machine gun in hand, she took in her surroundings and slowly walked down the street. Just then a loud, angry mob appeared from behind a corner and started running towards Hermione while shooting at her. She took cover from behind a parked van. Hermione fired her machine gun at them, taking down half of the mob. She quickly hid behind a nearby mailbox as she reloaded. Luckily she did, because the van she was hiding behind blew up. She then jumped up from behind the mailbox and fired again, killing the rest of the mob.

__

"Task One complete, Accuracy Level: 95%, Injuries: None. Task Two: The Forest starts in 5 seconds." the computerized voice said. A clock appeared and counted down 5 seconds. Hermione threw her machine gun to the side and took out her rifle.

The surroundings changed into a forest. Hermione crouched down as she made her way through the forest. As she neared a large tree, a single shot was fired at her, but it hit the tree trunk instead. Immediately, Hermione saw the gunman and fired back, hitting him in the chest and torso. Then three people jumped down from three trees to her right and fired. She expertly squatted down and rolled away from the gunfire. Kneeling on one knee, she returned fire and hit them all in the chest and head. From a bush behind her, a fat man stood and threw five grenades at her. Hermione shot him and ran for her life. But she was too close, the impact of the explosion threw her in the air. The noise was deafening.

The professors in the stand covered their ears and gasped at the sight of the explosion and of Hermione being so close to the explosion. It sure looked realistic. Amazingly though, she landed on her feet. _ 'I really am a cat person,' _she thought. She looked around and kept walking, while reloading her rifle. She entered a clearing. As she walked, patches of grass rose -- enemies in camouflage. She took them down and managed to hit them all without getting hit herself. She had great agility and evasion skills.

__

"Task Two complete, Accuracy Level: 97%, Injuries: None. Task Three: The Parking Lot starts in 5 seconds" said the female voice. The clock appeared again. Hermione was now only one-third away from the end of the field. She heard clapping from the stands and waved at them. She threw her rifle and took out her pistols. She had one in each hand.

The forest turned into an underground parking lot with a lot of pillars. The lot was half filled with cars. It was quiet...too quiet. She crouched down as she walked in between the cars. She heard quiet footsteps to her left. She cautiously peered through a car window and saw no one. She turned her head and looked behind her. No one. She crept quietly through the cars and heard more soft footsteps. They were closer and coming from behind her. She immediately turned and saw five gunmen. She shot them all three times in the chest as she stood up and dodged their bullets. The noise of the shoot out drew attention from the other gunmen in the parking lot. They fired at her and Hermione dove sideways, as if she were taking a bullet for someone, and fell as she fired back. She got up and ran behind a pillar. She winced. One of them had managed to hit her. Her upper left arm was grazed. It was bleeding. Forgetting about her injury, she reloaded her guns.

The professors seated in the stands were captivated. They were all impressed by her skills. This was certainly not the same Hermione they remembered. She was no longer the quiet, studious student. She was "all grown up" and killed with frightening ease and accuracy. 

Hermione peered from behind the column. She saw four men coming at her from both sides she stepped out and raised her arms and shot at them. But before she killed them all, one of the thugs managed to hit her leg. She fell into a seating position. The pain factor in this game was certainly realistic.

__

"Task Three complete, Accuracy Level: 100%, Injuries: Two, one bullet wound to the upper left arm, one bullet wound to the lower right leg. Would you like to proceed with Mission Two? the computerized voice asked.

"Yes," Hermione said. It wasn't about showing off her new toy now. It was about what other surprises this game had.

__

"Mission Two: One-on-One Combat begins in 15 seconds. Player is to enter wandless."

As the voice said that, the surrounding changed and her fresh, imaginary wounds disappeared. The pain she felt was gone, like it never happened. She was now standing in a freight train cart. There were stacked boxes everywhere.

Hermione looked up at her audience of professors.

"Good job, Hermione!" cried Lupin.

"Yes, very well done!" McGonagall said.

"Thank you! After this mission I'm turning this thing off!" Hermione said. The speakers carried her voice throughout the field.

She then saw Snape smiling at her. _'HIM!? SMILING!? AT ME!? It's dark, my eyes must be playing tricks on me.'_

But he was smiling. He was impressed of her skill and of the person she had grown up to be. _'Granger looks beautiful too. Did I just think that? When this is over, I need a drink." _The smile faded and he joined the other teachers as they stared at Hermione as she got ready for her next mission.

__

"3...2...1...Go!"

Hermione slowly and quietly walked through the aisle of boxes. She had to weave her way through them to get to the door at the end.

From the Professors' Box, they could all see the enemies hidden behind the boxes. They were all in suspense.

"Watch out, Hermione!" one of the professors called out.

Hermione looked up at them momentarily but while she was distracted, one a man dressed in black kicked her from behind. Hermione stumbled forward and turned around in a fighting stance. The man in black kicked at her, but she blocked it and kicked him in the groin then body slammed him. The man was immobile. She got up and kicked down two towers of boxes which buried the man completely. She opened the door and went to the next train cart. Once Hermione entered the cart, she was attacked by three men in black. She punched and kicked her way through until all three were unconscious. She saw that one of them had a wand. She picked it up and walked through the door.

The next cart was different from the rest. It was empty. There were no boxes and there was no door at the end to go through. Instead, there were five fireplaces. _'Why are there fireplaces in a freight train cart?' _All of the sudden there were five men in black with wands.

"Stupefy!", one of the man in black called. Another yelled "Accio wand" at the same time.

Hermione's dodged the Stunning Charm and suddenly realized that she was wandless. The guy who had her wand broke it in half. _'Oh crap,' _she thought_. _There was an audible gasp from the professors above. _'How am I going to make it through this?'_

****

A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


	8. Words Exchanged

****

Chapter Eight: Words Exchanged

Hermione was out numbered, 5 to 1, and wandless. She appeared calm, but inside she was panicking. It was all imaginary, but what if this did happen to her in real life?

"CRUCIO!" one of them yelled. The professors gasped in horror. The curse hit Hermione square in the chest and she stumble backwards a bit. She was in pain and her breathing was irregular. She fought through the pain and kicked her attacker in the head, knocking him unconscious. This body disappeared.

'CRUCIO!" another on of the men in black yelled. The curse hit her left arm. She gasped and stumbled backwards again. She did her best to ignore the pain and gave her attacker a right-hooked punch, then a punch in the stomach, then uppercut him. _'The old 1-2-3,' _she thought. He fell back and disappeared.

"CRUCIO!" Hermione felt her knees go weak. The pain was excruciating. He went to this person and choked him as he disappeared.

"CRUCIO!" Hermione wanted to die. She couldn't stand it. She was losing her energy. She was running on adrenaline. She almost fell as the curse hit her. She went to this attacker and snapped his neck. He disappeared.

"CRUCIO!" the last man in black yelled. She was seeing double vision and was now on all fours trying to fight the now extremely intense pain. She hurt all over and was shallowly breathing. _'I am not letting this contraption get the best of me.' _She got up and yelled in anger and pain as she ran to her attacker. She beat him up good until he disappeared.

Now standing alone, she let out a loud blood curdling scream until there was no air in her lungs. She soon fell to her knees and collapsed on the metal floor. She fainted.

"HERMIONE!" McGonagall yelled.

The professors ran from their seats to where Hermione was lying on the ground.

__

"Mission Two, complete. Would you like to proceed to Mission Three?" the computerized voice asked.

"No!" Lupin yelled. He went to Hermione and used her wristband to turn the system off.

Hermione was now face down in the grass. Lupin turned her over on her back.

"Hermione?" Lupin said as he tried to wake her. "Hermione, can you hear me?"

Madam Pomfrey went to her and checked for a pulse. "She's still alive." She took out her wand and pointed it at Hermione. "Ennverate."

Hermione's chest rose as she took in a deep breath. She got up and stretched as if she were waking up from a nap.

"Hey guys, watcha doin' down here?" she asked.

"You fainted after being hit by the Cruciatus Curse five times, Ms. Granger," Snape said.

"I did? Yeah, that sounds vaguely familiar now."

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm fine. I'm not in any pain."

"How did you manage to kill off those five men while you were being hit with the Cruciatus Curse?" Snape asked.

"I turned my blinding pain into a murderous rage. Believe me, it's easier said than done. I just wanted to rip off my limbs because they hurt so much."

"It was quite a display of strength and endurance," he said.

"Was that a compliment coming from the dastardly Potions Master of Hogwarts?" She asked feigning shock as she smiled.

"Let's get you to bed, Hermione. I'm sure all this excitement has made you tired," McGonagall cut in before Snape could reply.

"Sure." It was late. She put on her cloak and took out her wand. "Pack!"

All of the equipment flew at her and went back into the box it came in. She picked it up and said. "Alright, let's go." They all went back inside the castle.

"Let me walk you back to your room, Hermione," Lupin offered.

"No, it's alright, Remus. I'm sure Severus can walk me down there." She turned to Snape. "I assume that you are going to the dungeons anyway, yes?"

"Yes, I am, Ms. Granger. Come along." They both walked down to the dungeons. Hermione and Snape stopped in front of her portrait.

"You mind coming in for a bit? I need to talk to you."

"Very well."

"Hello, my lady. I see that Sir Severus Snape is with you."

"Hello, Sir Henry and yes he is. Smokey Joe's Cafe."

The portrait swung open and they both entered. She put the box down on the table and motioned for him to sit. "Tea?"

"No, thank you. Do you think it's wise that I know your password, Ms. Granger?"

"Yes, I think it is. In case you need me, you know my password and can wait for me here. It's one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you. I also want all of your passwords."

"I am not giving you my passwords."

"But you must. I am your bodyguard. If I need access to you, I need to know your passwords and every time you change them, I need to know. Just give them up. It's not like I'm going to broadcast this to everyone. Here, write them down."

He took the parchment and quill form her hand and reluctantly wrote down his passwords and where they correspond to. He handed her back the paper.

"Thank you." She looked at the parchment and put it in her pocket. "Now, we need a safe word."

"A safe word?"

"Yes. It's so I know that you're you. I'll ask you every so often for the safe word. You can do the same to me. So, how about 'Swordfish'?"

"Fine. Is there anything else, Ms. Granger?"

"Only a couple more things. I think you're safe for the rest of the month. Dolohov and Rookwood won't try to attack you so soon. You have better be careful. No matter how hard I try, I can't be with you 24/7."

"I'm always careful, Ms. Granger. I am a spy for Dumbledore after all."

"Don't underestimate these two. And just as I can call you by your first name, you can call me 'Hermione' or 'Granger'. 'Ms. Granger' is too formal and I am your equal at the moment."

He stared at her.

"Or we could just stick with 'Granger'. Ya know...baby steps."

Snape smirked. "Are we done here, Granger?"

"Yes, we are. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night." He got up from his seat and walked to the connecting door.

"Hey, Snape?" He turned around to face her. He was about to comment when she said, "Word?"

"Swordfish." He opened the door and entered his chambers.

Hermione sat quietly in her seat for a while after he left, musing over what had happened on her first day back at Hogwarts. _'Quite eventful and productive, if I do say so myself.'_

Hermione took out the list of passwords Snape had written. Within minutes she had memorized them. She put the note in with her case files. She then took out the Marauder's Map. She made two copies of it. Harry would never forgive her if anything happened to it.

One of the copies she enlarged and placed on the wall of her bedroom. The other copy was like the original, pocketsize. 

"Crook? Where are you?"

Her owl flew from her perch and hooted. She fed her some owl treats as she wrote a Thank You note to Harry and Shacklebolt. In Harry's envelope, she enclosed his Marauder's Map.

"Crook, take this one to Harry and then this one to Shacklebolt."

She hooted and flew away. She really was tired. The using new Auror training system had taken a lot out of her. She went out of her quarters.

"Sir Henry. Are you awake?"

"Yes, Lady Hermione, I am."

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor." He nodded. "Unless the school's on fire, I do not wish to be disturbed."

"As you wish, my lady. I shall grant no one entry unless it is of dire importance."

She smiled. "Thank you, Sir Henry. I appreciate it."

"It is my pleasure." He bowed from inside his portrait.

__

'There is work to do tomorrow.' She entered her chambers and changed into her pajamas. It was a gray cotton tank top with matching cotton shorts that came above mid-thigh. She immediately fell asleep.

****

A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


	9. Tranquilizer

****

Chapter Nine: Tranquilizer

Hermione got up early. The clock read 5:45am. She decided to looked at her enlarged Marauder's Map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," she said to it. Just then small dots and the Hogwarts floor plan appeared on the blank parchment. She found that most of the teachers were still asleep. But she found that Filch was eating breakfast and Mrs. Norris walking in the 3rd floor corridor. She then looked for Snape. He was awake in his chambers reading.

"Reading about Potions, no doubt." She paused. _'Potions...school...teacher...Charms! How could I have forgotten!?'_

She completely forgot the reason why she got up early. She was the new Charms professor and the new Ravenclaw Head of House.

"I need lesson plans!" she panicked. September 1st was only two weeks away.

"Start with the First Years." She immediately sat down and began to furiously write while periodically checking the Marauder's Map for Snape's whereabouts. Pretty soon she had wrote out lesson plans for all the Years that would last her until the end of the school year and then some. One thing she liked about herself was that she worked fast. But now she had a severe case of writer's cramp.

Unbeknownst to her, while she was writing her lesson plans, Snape was standing outside her portrait, trying to gain entry.

"I am sorry Sir Severus, Lady Hermione does not wish to be disturbed - and I quote - _'Unless the school is on fire'. _Surely whatever you wish to say to the Lady can wait until later."

Snape was getting annoyed. He was standing there for what seemed like forever trying to get into Hermione's room. He knew it would be easier to go through the connecting door to her chambers, but they both agreed not to use it to respect each other's privacy.

"I have a message for her from the Headmaster, Rhode."

"Oh! The Headmaster! Why did you not say that earlier?"

"Move. Smokey Joe's Cafe."

The portrait moved and he entered the small corridor that lead to the chambers.

"Granger?"

Hermione was at her desk stacking the lessons she just wrote out.

"Severus. What brings you here so early?"

Her appearance shocked him. She was wearing cotton tank top and shorts that seemed too short. Her hair was in a messy bun.

"It's not early. It's nearly noon and you're still in your...pajamas."

"Noon already?" She lost her sense of time while she was writing.

"Yes. And are you not supposed to be guarding me? For all we know, I could have been attacked and you would have never known."

"I thought you didn't want a babysitter."

"I don't. But I want a person who can do her job."

"I can do my job and I have been. I know where you are, who you are with, and what you're doing every second of the day." 

"That's impossible."

"Is it really? At 5:30am, you were awake, sitting in your chambers reading. Then you went out for a walk at 6:37am. You came back at 7:14am. You then took a shower at 7:22am. At 7:45am, you went to the Great Hall for breakfast, which reminds me, I'm hungry. At 8:09am you left the Great Hall and ---"

"That's enough, Granger. You've made your point."

"So why is it you're down here anyway?"

"Dumbledore wants you at lunch. Apparently, he was disappointed that you missed breakfast."

"I'll be there soon enough."

Snape curtly nodded and left. She got changed and as she headed out the door, she hear a popping noise. A letter had appeared in front of her fireplace. Recognizing the seal as the Magical Intelligence Bureau's seal, she opened it.

__

Auror Granger - 

You'll be happy to know that Quirrell has been suspended without pay indefinitely. I look forward to your progress reports regarding Operation: Grim Reaper Recall.

- Director Judge

MIB HQ's

She smiled as she put down the letter on her desk. Judge had named her operation two years ago when she was transferred to the MIB. _'The man's always had a weird sense of humor,' _she thought as she left for the Great Hall.

She opened the doors to the Great Hall and walked to the High Table. She was early and it was only a few professors were there. She caught the eye of Snape.

"Granger! What are you wearing!?"

She stopped in center aisle, in front of the High Table. She was wearing a black tube top and a mini-skort. She also had a black utility belt that her wand, handgun, and handcuffs hooked onto.

She chuckled. "What? It's hot today. Too much skin for you? Or is it that it's Muggle clothing?" She smiled at him. He glared back. "Don't worry, I'll be wearing a robe over myself by the time the school term starts. G'afternoon everybody."

"Hello Hermione," said Sprout

"Sleep well, dear?" asked Lupin.

"Yes, very well. I --- "

She immediately turned her attention to Snape. He winced and grabbed his left shoulder. There was a dart sticking out of his shoulder. She turned around from where she was standing and saw a figure clad in black with black hair putting away his dart shooter.

She slightly turned to Madam Pomfrey without breaking eye contact with the intruder. 

"Poppy, you know what to do." 

She nodded and began to tend to Snape's wound. He was now slumped over the table and unconscious. 

She ran towards the intruder and drew out her gun. The man at the entrance did the same thing. He raised his gun and shot her torso. She stopped dead in her tracks. She place her hand on her stomach and saw that there was blood. She fired back and hit him in the heart and torso. He stumbled back and fired at her again. He hit her right shin. She nearly fell but stood her ground and gave her best attempt at running towards the man. He was still doubled over when she got to him. She grabbed his gun and threw it aside and then grabbed his arms and threw him down on the ground. She handcuffed him and limped out of the Hall with him.

She was still in pain once they were outside of the Hall. But the intruder that she just captured changed. The hair color changed to brown and his facial features changed.

"Hey, sweetheart. Handcuffs? Kinky," he said.

"VINCENT! OH MERLIN! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

He laughed. "You know how I like to make an entrance. Now could you get these cuffs off me. Please?" He gave her his best puppy eye look.

She relented and uncuffed him. "Stupid Metamorphmagi! You shot me!" she yelled.

"No worries, hon. They were beanbags with small plastic pouches timed to release a mixture of red dye and strawberry syrup upon impact. And you shot me too, sweet cheeks."

She gasped. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I had a bullet-proof vest on. See."

His vest had two dents on them.

"What are you doing here Vin?"

"I was in the neighborhood. Judge sent me out here to help you. I'm still gonna play for the winning team. Ain't that terrific!? All I have to do is change my looks and accent and I'm as good as in. By the way, Dolohov and Rookwood are in London. I've been following them all last night and morning. Here, take a look."

He handed her a brown case file folder. Hermione opened it. There were wizards photos inside. She saw Dolohov and Rookwood walking together on a crowded street in Muggle London. They were wearing stylish Muggle summer clothing as well.

"They've adapted well. How ironic that they hide with Muggles," she said to Vinny.

"Yeah. But I guess it is easier to hide in a place where they're just another face," said Vinny.

Hermione nodded and flipped through the rest of the photos. Vinny stopped her and pointed at one in particular. The photo showed Dolohov and Rookwood seated in a bar.

"From what I understand, those two have made that their favorite nightly hang out. I also noticed a 'Bartender Wanted' sign in the store front. If they go back there again later today and tomorrow, I'm gonna take the job and ask for the night shift."

"Sounds perfect." She closed the file.

"Those are for you to keep. I have my own copies," Vinny said.

"Thanks, Vin," She paused for a moment. "So how exactly did you get inside here? And where's my car?"

"I brought your car with me. It's in a private garage without a scratch on it. And the wards here were like child's play. I would have thought that you would have put your own brand of impenetrable wards on already. Shame on you for forgetting."

"Thanks. I'll do that later."

"Oh and the dart I shot at your friend, it was a tranquilizer. He should be waking up in five minutes."

She laughed. "I'll walk you out."

"I'll send any info I get through Floo."

"Ok, see you later and next time, just knock on the door and say 'Hello.'"

She smiled and walked back to the Great Hall. She saw that it was empty. She ran to the Hospital Wing. She burst into the doors and saw that the professors were forced to stand in a corner while Madam Pomfrey started worked on Snape.

"Don't worry about him, Poppy. He'll be fine. It was a tranquilizer dart. Give him five minutes and he'll be up and scowling in no time."

"Oh dear! Lay down on this bed this instant! You're wounded!" Madam Pomfrey yelled as she pointed at Hermione.

Hermione gave her a confused look. She looked down at herself. Blood-like stains were all over her.

"I'm not wounded. Beanbags were shot at me, not bullets. Take a look."

She lifted her top to show her that her stomach was not pierced. Although she had a small rectangular black and blue mark.

"Hermione, who was that man in the Great Hall?" McGonagall asked.

"No one dangerous. He's like the Fred and George Weasley of the MIB. And, yes, I told him not to do that again."

"No more Weasleys..." said a low voice. It was Snape. They all walked to his bed.

"You misunderstood me, Snape. I said that the man who shot the tranquilizer dart at you is just like Fred and George Weasley. But if you're so eager for more Weasleys to teach, I'll tell the older ones to get a move on." She winked at him. He rolled his eyes and noticed something red on Hermione's top. 

"You took a bullet for me?"

"It's my job to take your bullets. But I would have done the same were it not." She smiled at Snape. He looked a bit surprised.

Hermione continued to speak. "Actually, I took two shots for you. And they were beanbags filled with syrup. I smell like strawberries. Here, take a whiff."

"There's no need for me to ---"

But Hermione had already grabbed his head as she stretched her top towards him.

"Hmm, strawberries," he said.

He got up from his hospital bed but Pomfrey began to protest. Before Snape could say anything to her, Hermione cut in.

"He's fine Poppy. He was just put to sleep." She turned to Snape. "Follow me." He was about to say something but she quickly said, "No arguing."

Hermione stopped at the fireplace in the Hospital Wing and flooed her folder to her chambers.

"What's the word?" Hermione asked as they exited and walked through the deserted hall.

"Swordfish," he replied dully. Hermione nodded in approval.

Once he and Hermione were out of the castle, she put on her sunglasses.

"It's not that sunny, Granger." In fact it was partly cloudy.

"Scourgify," she said pointing at herself. "I have to. It's part of my uniform."

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see. We're almost there."

They were in Hogsmeade, which was much more crowded than the last time she was there. _'Anybody could be in this crowd.'_

"Stay close to me," she said to Snape. They had been walking with a 3 foot distance between them before. He nodded and walked closer to her. There was now a 6 inch gap between them.

As they continued to make their way into Hogsmeade, she noticed a group of teenagers looking at them. The crowd was walking slow, so she was able to hear part of their conversation.

"Is that Snape?," a girl with short blonde hair asked.

"Yeah, I think so," said another girl with wavy black hair.

"Oh sweet Merlin! Who is that walking next to him?" asked a boy with spiked short red hair. 

"I don't know, but she is _hot_," said the other boy with brown hair.

"You think they're a couple?" asked the blonde haired girl.

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about that. Him getting a girl? Impossible. It simply defies all the laws of nature," said the boy with spiked red hear. They all laughed.

"It's a possibility though. They seem to share the same favorite color," said the brown haired boy. Both Hermione and Snape were wearing black.

"Yeah and look at how close they're walking together," said the black haired girl.

"Wait until I tell the others. They're going to be so shocked," the blonde haired girl said.

It took a lot of self-control for Hermione not to burst out in laughter. But once she and Snape were out of earshot of the teens, she laughed and laughed. Snape gave her an irritated look.

"Shhh! Do you hear that, Snape?" She held out her arm and he stopped walking. Her face was now serious.

"What am I supposed to be hearing?" he replied.

"It's the Rumor Mill. It's started up already." He frowned at this. 

Hermione lead them into the Three Broomsticks. It was about three-fourths full. They sat down at a small table in the back corner. 

"Oh it's lovely to see the two of you here again. Are you two together?" asked Madam Rosmerta. 

"Actually, Rosmerta, we're --- ,"

"We're here together, yes," Hermione said. "Could you get us one butterbeer and one firewhiskey?"

As soon as Rosmerta was gone, she was back. Hermione handed her some money. "Keep the change." Before she left she smiled at Snape.

"I think she likes you."

"Too bad I fancy someone else," he murmured.

"What did you say?" Hermione asked, slightly bewildered.

"I said, why did you say that we were together?" Snape said a bit louder and clearer this time.

She eyed him suspiciously for a moment. "I said that we were _here_ together, which is the truth. And what was I going to say? 'Oh no, Madam, you're mistaken. I'm here because I have to protect him against two crazy Death Eaters'?"

"You could have said that we were here on Hogwarts business. Speaking of which, why are we here?"

"I was thirsty." She paused and smiled at him. "And to buy you an I'm-sorry-my-friend-shot-you drink."

"How thoughtful of you," he said sarcastically

"Yeah, I thought I was being pretty thoughtful too. Anyway, our visitor today has proven to me that I must take a more active role in guarding you. We have a serious situation on our hands and I was slacking off. It was totally unprofessional of me. I apologize."

He nodded and said, "I'm glad you saw the error in your ways."

"Those teenagers before. Were they students of yours?"

"Yes, unfortunately. They're Ravenclaws going into their 7th year."

"How do you handle all those rumors?"

He smiled a bit. "Simple. I take off points from their house. An added bonus with those four is that after this year, I won't see them again."

She chuckled. "Yeah, and after this school year, you won't see me again too. Another bonus." She began to drink her butterbeer.

He only slightly nodded in response.

In reality, something inside him told him that he didn't want her to leave. The only thing he could call it was a "gut feeling" and his were never wrong. _'What am I going to do?'_

****

A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


	10. Getting To Know You

****

Chapter Ten: Getting To Know You

__

'Thirteen days until September 1st,' Hermione thought to herself. She was sitting on her sofa in the living room of her chambers. It was early in the morning and the sun was starting to rise. Hermione had always been an early-riser since she could remember. She checked her copy of the Marauder's Map and saw that Snape was still sleeping.

She chuckled quietly to herself. Snape sleeping reminded her too much of what happened the day before. _'Hit with a tranquilizer blow dart.' _The smile on her face quickly faded away. She had been doing a horrible job as a bodyguard thus far. She was making a mockery of what it meant to be a Secret Auror. Vinny being able to enter Hogwarts and shoot Snape only proved it further. She sighed as she sunk lower into the sofa. Hermione was disappointed in herself. Ever since she entered the doors of Hogwarts, she felt like a kid again.

__

'Luckily, it was only Vinny and not Dolohov and Rookwood.' She was feeling even more horrible until something occurred to her. _'Obviously, the only way to redeem myself is to do what I was supposed to do in the first place. Protect Snape, never let him leave my sight, take note of anything suspicious, and watch out for Death Eaters. Start doing the job I love to do.'_

With newly found inspiration, she got dressed. This time more practically in black jeans, sleeveless shirt, cloak, and boots. She strapped her handgun in her holster and positioned it so that her gun was at the back of her pants. Her cloak easily covered it up. She placed her wand and cell phone on her utility belt and pocketed extra ammo and the Marauder's Map. She hanged a pair of dark tinted glasses on the collar of her shirt. These were the essentials for the rest of her stay at Hogwarts.

__

'There is no room for error on this mission. One wrong move and Snape's dead. Then I'm out of a job.'

She checked herself in the mirror and decided to put her hair up in a neat and tight bun. She walked out of her chambers and stood next to Snape's painting. The wizard in it was still sleeping. Hermione checked her watch. _'6:55am,' _it read. She looked at the Map. Snape was awake and was getting dressed. She put away the Map and quietly stood next to his painting. About ten minutes later, it opened.

"Granger, what are you doing outside of my chambers?" Snape asked in his usual bored voice.

"Waiting for you. We're going to be spending a lot more quality time together."

"I suppose 'quality time together' means 'watch me like a hawk'?" 

"That's right. Just what you wanted. Someone doing her job."

"Good. Now at least I have a competent guard." Hermione cocked her head at him and raised an eyebrow.

Snape changed the subject. "I'm going to the Great Hall. I need coffee. I'm sure you haven eaten yet."

Hermione stood silently for a moment and stared at him. 

"I suppose I could do with some breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day, after all."

They walked next to each other to the Great Hall in silence. Hermione took in her surroundings. _'Nothing out of the ordinary,' _she noted. They entered the Hall and sat down at the table. Snape was to Hermione's right -- the same seating arrangement as before.

Hermione followed him around for the rest of the day. It was starting to annoy him.

"Wherever you go, I go," Hermione said to him when he asked what she was doing.

'Oh yeah? We'll just see about that,' he thought.

He tried to get rid of her by walking faster but soon learned that Hermione could easily keep up with him. He then tried losing her when he went to the bathroom hoping that she wouldn't follow him in. He was wrong. She followed him into the bathroom. Snape's eyes widened a bit.

"I'm not scared of the men's bathroom, Snape. I've been in worse and smellier places before. And it takes a helluva lot more to scare me."

There was silence. Snape was still staring at her.

'What? Shy bladder? I can take a hint. I'll be waiting over there by the door with my back turned."

Snape was frustrated. Then, he had an idea. As they walked through the corridors, he quicken his pace and rounded a corner. He took a secret passage that lead to the dungeons. He turned around and saw no one behind him.

He grinned. _'She wasn't able to follow me then. I win.'_

Feeling very proud of himself, he walked along the hallway and turned into the corridor that lead to his room only to find an angry Hermione waiting for him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

He was surprised and awestruck. "How did you get here before me?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? Like you, I have my own ways of getting around," she said vaguely. "I hope you learned a lesson. There is no way that I'm leaving you and there's no way you can get rid of me. Wherever you go, I go. I thought you would have got that after our visit to the bathroom."

Snape was quiet for a moment. _'I really am stuck with her.' _He smiled a bit. "You are just as stubborn as I remember. Is this how the rest of the year will be like, Granger?"

Hermione smiled. "Nothing gets by you, Snape."

Over the next few days, Hermione learned a few things about Snape. He went to bed at around 12am-1am. He woke up everyday at 6:00am and was not a morning person. At breakfast, he took his coffee black with a dash of sugar, ate a bit of toast with strawberry jam or pancakes with maple syrup. Snape didn't have much of an appetite in the mornings, she noticed. He hated eggplants, raw carrots, radishes, and olives. He didn't have as great of a sweet tooth as Ron, but on occasion ate a chocolate frog. He didn't eat baked potatoes, but ate mashed potatoes. He didn't like garlic, but ate garlic bread.

__

'Heh, the man of paradoxes. And there goes the vampire theory Harry and Ron had about him,' Hermione thought.

Hermione's constant presence didn't annoy Snape as much now. He was getting used to having her near -- not that it was bothering him much in the first place. He found that she was a great conversation partner to have. She could talk about nearly anything and sound like she knew everything on that topic. That really didn't surprise him at all. Hermione was known to be the resident know-it-all back in her Hogwarts years. She had managed to befriend him, even if it was only slightly. This was quite an accomplishment considering Snape had no friends.

After dinner, about a week before the start of school, she escorted Snape to his rooms and walked to Dumbledore's office.

"Every Flavored Beans," she said to the gargoyle.

It moved aside and Hermione saw Dumbledore sitting behind his desk and petting Fawkes.

"Hello, Albus."

"Hello, Hermione," he said cheerfully. "Please, sit down. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Every Flavored Bean?"

"Oh, thank you." She took one. _'Eww...earwax.'_ Recovering from the taste, she said, "I wanted to go over a few security details before school begins."

"Of course. What's on your mind?"

"Well, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to have Charms classes held in the dungeons for the duration of the year. It would put me at ease if I were closer to my mark."

"Consider it done. I'll put your classroom and Severus' classroom next to each other," he said.

"Thank you, sir. I would also like to place more blanket wards on the school grounds."

"Of course. One can never have too many."

"And I've decided not to use an alias while I'm here. I already informed Director Shacklebolt and Director Judge about this. If anyone tries to look me up, my records will show that I've just graduated from medical school. My real records are sealed and locked away until further notice."

"Very good. There won't be any confusion when we call your name, then."

"None whatsoever." She smiled at him.

"Well, that's all I had to say. Thank you for your time, Albus."

"Not at all, Hermione. Remember, you are always welcomed in my office," he said as he smiled. His eyes twinkled.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." With that she left and went to decided to go to her chambers. When she was back in her rooms, she checked her Map and saw that Snape was still in his rooms -- just as she left him.

"I have gotta stop being so dependent on this little piece of parchment," she said.

She set up a mini potions lab in a corner of her living room and began working on a side project for the rest of the evening.

The rest of August passed without event, much to everyone's relief. It was now September 1st. Hermione was nervous, to say the least. She wore her best dress shirt and pants and an elegant dress robe. She wore her auburn hair down. Snape, she noticed, dressed up too.

As the day wore on, Hagrid and McGonagall left to meet the students as they got off from the Hogwarts Express. Hermione and the rest of the professors took their seats at the High Table and watched as the second years through seventh years filed into the Great Hall. Hermione recognized the four seventh years that she saw at Hogsmeade weeks ago. At Dumbledore's request, the Hall fell silent and moments later, McGonagall lead the group of first years through the center aisle of the Hall.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," McGonagall said as she held out a roll of parchment.

The sorting was just as exciting as she remembered. When everyone was sorted into their Houses, Dumbledore stood up and the Hall was immediately quiet.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Tuck in!" Dumbledore cheerfully said.

Food immediately appeared and everyone ate to their heart's content. During dinner, Hermione noticed that she got a lot of odd looks from everyone. She had originally thought it was because the younger students had no clue who she was while the older students weren't sure if they recognized her or not.

That theory was immediately thrown away when she became acutely aware that the majority of the odd looks she received came from the Ravenclaw table. She was sure that the mixture of pointing, smirking, gawking, and laughing were about her and Snape when she spotted the four seventh year Ravenclaw students from Hogsmeade again. They seemed to be the epicenter of her unwanted attention.

__

'Stupid Rumor Mill. I make one joke about it and it comes back to bite me in the ass. Damn karma,' she bitterly thought. 

When dinner was done, Dumbledore stood up again.

"I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. Professor Flitwick is on sabbatical this year. He gives his deepest apologies and says that he will be back next year. But we have a lovely young woman, whom some of you might remember, who will take over all of his duties. Please welcome your new Charms professor and Ravenclaw Head of House, Hermione Granger."

She stood up, smiled at them, gave them a little wave, and sat back down. The Hall erupted in applause and cheers. When it ended, Dumbledore continued his speech.

"Also, due to renovation, all Charms classes will now be held in the dungeons." The students began to murmur. "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. And now before we go to bed, let us sing the school song."

Snape groaned in annoyance.

"Oh c'mon," Hermione said as she lightly nudged him with her elbow. "Where's your school spirit?" She grinned at him. Snape glared at her in response. Dumbledore flicked his wand and golden snakelike words appeared. Everyone began to sing:

__

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with some filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, We'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot."

After the song, the prefects lead the first years to their common room. Hermione and Snape walked back to the dungeons.

"Charms classes in the dungeons?" Snape asked when they were alone.

"Surprise!" Hermione smiled at him only to receive a glare. "I told you that there's no way to get rid of me."

"You're true to your word, Granger. How very Gryffindor of you," Snape said as he smirked.

She chuckled. "Thanks."

Soon after, Hermione decided to call a mandatory Ravenclaw House meeting. She needed to do damage control and assert herself to them as soon as possible. _'First impression's everything.'_

All the Ravenclaws gathered in their common room. There was quiet chatter among them. Then the entrance to their common room opened. Hermione walked in with a serious face and all the Ravenclaws were silent and looking expectantly at her.

Hermione took in her surroundings. The color scheme was certainly different than that of the Gryffindor common room. Everything was blue and bronze. A portrait of the Ravenclaw mascot, the eagle, hung above the fireplace. Besides from these obvious differences, the common room looked exactly the same as the Gryffindor's common room.

She turned the Head Girl. It was the girl with the wavy black hair she saw at Hogsmeade. Her name was Sydney Chang, Cho Chang's younger sister.

"Miss Chang, is everyone here?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Yes, Professor."

"Excellent," she said. Hermione looked at her the silent crowd. In an authoritative voice, she began her speech.

"Good evening, Ravenclaws. I am Hermione Granger. I am your Head of House and Charms teacher this year. I am sure all of you have noticed from tonight's dinner that I am the youngest member of the Hogwarts staff. This does not mean you can treat me any differently than you would your other professors. I like respect and I will regard you with the same amount of respect you show me. Unlike Professor Snape, I will not turn a blind eye on any misbehaving from my House. I do not want to take points away from my own House, but I will not tolerate any type of demeanor that will bring shame or disgrace to our House. As Ravenclaws, I'm sure you already assumed this."

Hermione paused and gave them a small smile. Ravenclaws were known for their intelligence and intuitiveness.

"It has come to my attention that this House has yet to win the House Cup and Quidditch Cup for many years. I plan to change that. It is my intention to win both Cups this year. It is not as far-fetched as it may sound. In order to achieve these goals, I expect all Ravenclaws to be model students. I expect our Quidditch team to practice as soon as possible and as often as possible. Strategy, competitiveness, and aggressiveness are the keys to success. As your Head of House, I expect excellence. On that same note, do not hesitate to come to me with your problems, ask for assistance or to just talk. I hope you all take advantage of this since I am closer to your age than the other Heads are to their Houses. I will be more understanding. Are there any questions?"

There was a beat of silence until a boy hand raised his hand. It was the boy with brown from Hogsmeade. She noticed a prefect's badge on his chest.

"Yes? Please state your name and year for me."

"Peter Patil, 7th year. Weren't you in Gryffindor House when you were a student? I thought only an alumni of a House could be the Head of it."

__

'He's the one at Hogsmeade who said I was hot. Anyway, time to do get creative,' Hermione quickly thought to herself.

"A very intelligent question, Mr. Patil. The Sorting Hat had a difficult time deciding whether I should belong to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. But, in the end, yes, I was sorted into Gryffindor. I had, and still have, strong qualities from both Houses. Professor Dumbledore made an exception for me because of that." 

She waited for Peter's reaction. He then nodded understandingly. Although she didn't show it, she was relieved. _'My improvisation is not too shabby.'_

"Any other questions?"

A girl's hand raised. It was the girl with the short blonde hair from Hogsmeade. She too had a prefect's badge.

"Yes?"

"Paige Goldstein, 7th year. I have two questions. First, are you from America?"

Hermione smiled at her. "I've lived in America for some time now, but I'm originally from here. What was your second question, Ms. Goldstein?"

"Where do we go if we need to talk to you?"

"You are welcome to visit my chambers in the dungeons. My portrait is Sir Henry Rhode."

"Why are your chambers in the dungeons?" asked a boy with spiked red hair.

"And who are you?" asked Hermione.

"Kyle Boot, 7th year," he said.

"Well, Mr. Boot, since Professor Flitwick is on sabbatical, he left most of his belongings in his chambers. Neither Headmaster Dumbledore nor myself wanted to disturb any of his possessions. The only other free chamber was in the dungeons. Ms. Chang?"

"What were you doing before you came to teach here?"

"I've just recently graduated from medical school. Before I start working as a Medi-Witch at St. Mungo's, I'm taking this year off to rest up a bit, if you can call what I'm doing 'resting'. I majored in medicinal potions and pharmaceuticals. This year, while I'm teaching, I will also be studying under Professor Snape to get my Potions Mistress title."

"Are you certain you won't be under Snape doing something else this year as well?" asked a voice in the back of the common room.

Only a two or three students snickered at this but then were instantly silent. As for the rest of them, there was a collective gasp that turned into a shocked silence. All the Ravenclaws were wondering what would happen next. The suspense was killing them.

Hermione looked cool and collected but inside she was just as shocked and in disbelief as the rest of them. 

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"Are you sure you two won't be engaged in any other 'extra curricular activities'?" the voice asked again.

"Step forward. Show yourself," Hermione ordered.

A boy appeared from the back of the common room and walked towards her. He stopped until he was two feet away, standing directly in front of her. He was wearing smirk.

"State your name and year."

"Anton Zabini, 7th year." he said with arrogance in his voice.

"Mr. Zabini, your 'questions' were inappropriate and immature. And did I not just say that I expect all Ravenclaws to be model students? And that as your Head of House and professor, I want respect?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, come off it. We've all heard the rumors about you and your lover, Snape."

"Rumors are rumors, Mr. Zabini. They are unsubstantiated and contorted half-truths. It is foolish of you to even entertain the notion of believing them, let alone continuing them. I would have expected more sense from a Ravenclaw."

He rolled his eyes again, sighed loudly, and made a sour face.

"Since today is the first day of the term, I will be merciful and overlook your remarks. The last thing this House needs is to be in the negatives before the first day of lessons. I expect you to control yourself from now on Mr. Zabini. If you cannot do that, there will be dire consequences."

He smirked again. "Yes, ma'am," Anton said politely. He turned around and walked to his original spot in the back of the common room. The room was still filled with silence.

"Are there any other appropriate questions?" she asked.

No one raised their hand. Hermione couldn't decide if their stillness was caused by fear, shock or if they just ran out of questions to ask.

"No? Very well, then. Everyone go off to bed. You all have a big day in store for you tomorrow. Good night."

With that she left the common room and walked back to her chambers.

__

'I wonder what a Zabini is doing in Ravenclaw. How dare he defy my authority like that! And his smirks remind me of Draco Malfoy's trademark smirk. Those two are probably related -- like all pureblood families are.'

She stopped in front of her portrait.

"Good evening, Sir Henry."

"Good evening, Lady Hermione. I daresay, you look upset. Is something troubling you?"

"Oh, no. Not at all. I just have a lot on my mind. First day of class is tomorrow, after all." Even though as a Secret Auror, she was required to be an expert prevaricator, Hermione still hoped that he would believe her lie.

"Do not worry yourself, milady. You will do a splendid job."

She smiled. "You always have a kind word to say, sir. Too bad chivalry's dead."

"Dead? Chivalry shall never die."

__

'Oh, yeah. He's a knight," Hermione thought.

"I gotta go to sleep. I have an early morning meeting tomorrow. Smokey Joe's Cafe."

"Of course. Good night, milady."

"G'night, Sir Henry."

She walked in and changed into her pajamas. There was a staff meeting tomorrow morning after breakfast before classes started. Hermione climbed into bed and immediately fell asleep.

****

A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


	11. Staff Meeting

****

Chapter 11: Staff Meeting

Hermione woke up the next morning to the sound of banging on her bedroom door.

"What in the hell is that pounding noise?" Hermione murmured to herself as she was roused from her slumber.

"Granger! Are you in there? Wake up! If this door does not open within the next five minutes, I'm coming in there to get you out of bed myself."

__

'Huh? Is that Snape?' Hermione pulled the covers over her head.

"As much as I do enjoy these regular staff meetings Dumbledore insists on having, I do not wish to be late."

__

'Yep, it's Snape.' She sleepily smiled. _'Wait...what...?' _Hermione furrowed her eyebrows. She gasped. _'The staff meeting!' _She looked at her clock. It read '7:45am'. _'The meeting is in 15 minutes and I overslept!'_

Hermione threw off her covers and went to her wardrobe. She smiled and sighed. _'What do I wear? Black, black or black? It's so hard to decide!'_

Hermione picked out her clothes and laid them on her bed. She was in her underwear -- which was black as well -- when she heard Snape yell:

"It's been five minutes! I'm coming in!"

Before she could do anything, he opened the door. "Get up, Granger, or else I'll --"

He stopped talking and stared at her.

Hermione crossed her arms and said, "Can't a girl get some privacy?"

Snape snapped out of his gaze and quickly said, "Of course. My apologies." He shut the door.

__

'Why do I have a feeling he was sizing me up?' she thought as she dressed.

"A better question is why don't I mind that he was. There's some food for thought," she said quietly.

"Food! I missed breakfast too. Hopefully there'll be something to eat at the meeting."

She sighed heavily. "What a way to start my first day."

She finished getting dressed and began to put her essential Auror items on her person.

Meanwhile, Snape sat down on the sofa and murmured quietly to himself. _'Lean yet muscular, like me,' _he thought.

"Mr. Patil was right when he said this at Hogsmeade. 'She is _hot_.'" He smirked.

Hermione tied her hair up into a ponytail. She quickly went to the bathroom and washed her face.

"Scourgify," she said as she pointed her wand to her teeth. She smiled at the mirror. _'Sparkling white teeth as usual. Mom and Dad would be proud of me.'_

Hermione checked the clock as she walked out of the bathroom. It read, '7:55am'.

Hermione walked out of her bedroom door. She saw Snape sitting on her sofa.

"Sorry. I overslept."

"Obviously." Snape paused for a moment. "I apologize for earlier," he said as he stood up.

"If I may quote a wise man, 'Fuggheddaboudit, sweetheart. It was nothing.'" She waved a hand in a dismissive fashion and smiled at him. He nodded.

Hermione checked the clock again. "C'mon. We got four minutes to get to that meeting you've been looking forward to all morning."

Snape snorted. "We have better hurry, then."

They made it up to the Professor's Lounge with half a minute to spare.

"Aloe Vera," said Snape. The portrait of a young woman from the early nineteenth century moved aside and Hermione and Snape walked in.

The Professor's Lounge was a well lit room of stateliness. There was a magnificent fireplace on the left hand side of the room. In front of it was a large couch and two smaller couches on either side of it. On the right side of the room was a large round conference table. In the corner was a drink bar that had anything from water to Odgen's Old Firewhiskey in stock. By the windows, in the back of the room, bookshelves lined the wall. They were filled with old volumes of classic muggle and wizard literature.

Dumbledore and the other professors were seated at the round table. There were two vacant seats - hers and Snape's.

__

'This reminds me of King Arthur's round table,' thought Hermione.

"Glad to see you two could at least make it to this meeting," said Lupin humorously.

"Granger overslept," Snape said as he poured two cups of coffee at the drink bar. He handed one to Hermione.

"Yeah, I did. Thanks," she said as she took the cup from Snape. "And us two missing breakfast today is gonna add fuel to the already huge rumor fire about us."

"What rumors?" asked Snape.

"That we're lovers. Oh, Food!" said Hermione as she grabbed a blueberry muffin from a plate in center of the round table.

She sipped her coffee. "Cream and sugar. You remembered," she noted.

Snape shrugged as he took the seat next to her and drank his coffee.

"In all my years teaching here, this has to be a record start for gossip," chuckled Sprout.

"Lucky us," said Snape sarcastically.

"Now that we're all here, let us start this meeting," Dumbledore said.

"Additional wards have been added to protect the school from any attacks. Now that Voldemort is as great of a threat as ever and that there is a plot to murder Severus, I hope you all will do your best to protect the school."

Everyone nodded and said affirmatives.

"The Charms classroom is not under renovation. Hermione needs to be close to Severus to protect him. For now, that room will be locked. Are there any other security concerns to be discussed?"

"I have something. But I don't think it qualifies as a security issue," said Hermione. Dumbledore nodded.

"I just realized that if any of the students ask you questions about me, you guys wouldn't have a proper response. So here it is. I have just graduated from St. Mungo's Medical University. I majored in medicinal potions in pharmaceuticals and am working on becoming a Potions Mistress under the tutelage of Snape. That helps explain why I'm around him all the time and why I didn't just go off to St. Mungo's Hopsital to be a Medi-Witch. Albus, you allowed me to be the Head of Ravenclaw House because I exhibited strong Ravenclaw qualities and am well versed in charms. And if anybody sees me training in the Qudditch pitch, just say that I have hobbies. And I will still go by the name of 'Hermione Granger' while I'm here. Got it all?"

Everyone nodded and said yes.

"Have the Heads of Houses met with their students?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes," said Hermione, Snape, McGonagall, and Sprout in unison.

"Are there any concerns about the students?"

"I see a few potential Death Eaters among my 7th years," said Snape.

Dumbledore frowned. "That's unfortunate. We will try to sway them back to our side, then."

"What is a Zabini doing in Ravenclaw?" asked Hermione.

"I assume you're talking about Anton Zabini," said Dumbledore. Hermione nodded.

"He is cousin to Blaise Zabini. Apparently the Sorting Hat did not want him in Slytherin. He is still quite bitter about that."

"Speaking of Mr. Zabini, there was talk this morning at breakfast that you had quite an encounter with him yesterday. What exactly happened?" said McGonagall to Hermione.

Hermione laughed remembering her Ravenclaw meeting.

"It wasn't _that_ big of a deal; he was just rude. I was giving the Ravenclaws a speech about what I wanted them do to do this year. Then I asked if anyone had any questions. It was going fine until I said that I would be studying under Snape to gain my Potions Mistress title. Zabini asked, _'Are you certain you won't be under Snape doing something else this year?' _and if us two were gonna be _'engaged in any other 'extra curricular activities.''_"

Hermione made quotation marks with her fingers as she said "extra curricular activities".

"I was thinkin' to myself, 'Oh my god. You did not just say that _to me_, your fuckin' Head of House on your first day -- no, your first night back at Hogwarts. What are you? Stupid?' If you ask me, that was some way to make a first impression."

"Flitwick was his favorite teacher. His dislike for you probably stems out from his blaming you for his absence," said Sprout insightfully.

"I don't like the boy either. But I gotta admit that kid's got some balls."

"What!?" asked McGonagall in a scandalized voice.

"Huh? What did I say?" asked Hermione. Confusion was written all over her face. A second later, Hermione understood.

"Ohh. It's slang. I meant that he was brave to say that kinda thing to a professor."

Everyone chuckled a bit.

"Yes, you are a professor here. That brings me to my next order of business. Hermione, I have just received a curriculum outline from Filius. I am sure it will aid you."

Dumbledore handed her the piece of parchment Flitwick sent.

"Thank you."

"Before I forget, I have written down the passwords for this year. Everyone please take a copy."

Everyone took a sheet of parchment from the center of the round table.

"Does anyone have anything they would like to say?" asked Dumbledore.

The professors shook their head no.

"Very well, then. Classes begin in half an hour. Good luck to all of you. This meeting is adjourned. Severus and Hermione, please stay for a moment."

Dumbledore waited for the Professor's Lounge to clear out before he spoke to them.

"Severus spoke to me this morning about you, Hermione."

"Oh?" She turned her head to look at Snape and turned back to look at Dumbledore. "What did he say?"

"He suggested that you join the Order Of the Phoenix. You already have knowledge of our organization and given your current job and mission, you would be a great asset. I agree with him. You are a magnificent and powerful witch, Hermione. I and the rest of the Order would be honored if you joined our ranks."

Hermione was ecstatic. "Of course! I'd love to be a member. I'd probably fit right in."

"There is no doubt that you will." Dumbledore smiled at her. Those blue eyes of his twinkled in pride.

"Severus, how soon do you think your next meeting with Voldemort will be?"

"I can't be certain. He has been inconsistent these past few months."

"Hopefully it's no time soon," said Hermione.

"Indeed," said Snape.

"That is all. Good luck in your classes today," said Dumbledore.

"Good bye, Albus," said Hermione.

"Headmaster," Snape said as he nodded.

They both left the Professor's Lounge and walked back to the dungeons.

"We have to go over a few things," said Hermione as they neared their chambers. "Smokey Joe's Cafe."

The portrait swung open. Snape followed Hermione inside her chambers.

"Have a seat," Hermione said. She and Snape sat down on the sofa.

"Something just occurred to me as we were walking back here. How am I supposed to guard you when you're at a Dark Revel? I most certainly cannot can't go in disguise as a Death Eater. Voldemort would know notice the change in numbers."

"We'll have to think of an alternative method. I suspect that I am most at danger at a Dark Revel if Dolohov and Rookwood haven't already contacted the Dark Lord."

"I don't think they have."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I've been referring to my dossiers and case files to build up a profile on both Dolohov and Rookwood. I wanted to figure out their modus operandi. And I have come to a conclusion. They both suffer from different degrees of the same psychological impairments I have named, 'James Bond Villain Syndrome' and 'Rube Goldberg's Inventions Syndrome.'"

"What? Who are James Bond and Rube Goldberg?"

"James Bond it a Muggle movie character. He's Agent 007, licensed to kill, and likes his drinks shaken -- not stirred. I'm kinda like him except I like my drinks stirred, not shaken. The drink's less diluted and stronger like that. Anyway, in a James Bond movie, there is always an evil villain who tries to kill him. The villain always tells him what they are going to do to kill him and always take their sweet time going about it. Rube Goldberg was a Muggle cartoonist that drew complicated machines that performed simple tasks. As I said, Dolohov and Rookwood have both conditions. My guess is that they will do needlessly complicated and outlandish stunts just to attempt to murder you. And they're gonna take their time doing it to try to throw off any suspicion. According to other factors on their dossiers, they're going to keep quiet and then collect their rewards from Voldemort after the job is done. This way they won't have to share the credit with or have any competition with anyone else."

"I have nothing to worry about, then."

"I never said that. We still need to be on guard. I don't want to have to be investigated by my fellow Aurors for a homicide case that I was supposed to prevent. The MIB and British Aurory will deem me a rookie and bump me back down to a regular Auror so fast it'll make my head spin. And that's the ultimate humiliation -- being demoted and still having to work among your peers."

"Indeed." There was a silence.

"So, why did you nominate me to be inducted into the Order of the Phoenix?"

__

'So I could keep you close to me no matter where you are,' he wanted to say.

Instead he said, "As Dumbledore already told you, you are an exemplary witch; you have knowledge of the Order; and given our current situation, you are a perfect candidate."

Hermione stared at him for a moment. _'There's another part to this story, I just know it. He's not meeting my gaze. I'll figure it out, then if he doesn't want to tell me.'_

"Was that another compliment?" teased Hermione smiling.

"No, it was not a compliment. I was merely retelling what Dumbledore told you this morning."  
  
"And Dumbledore was retelling me what you told him this morning." She then gasped dramatically. "So you're _not_ as cold-hearted as everyone thinks you are!? Recommending me for the Order of the Phoenix is the ultimate compliment and, by far, the nicest thing you've done in recent time."

She leaned over and gave him a small hug. "Thank you."

"Think all you want about it. It was just a stratagem," Snape said defensively.

"Whatever you say," Hermione said, noting the change in his voice.

"Classes are soon. I have to go over my lesson plan."

Hermione gave him questioning look. "Alright, then. I should do the same. I'll meet you at your classroom later and we'll head to lunch."

He nodded and went to the connecting door to his chambers.

'I hit a nerve with him. This is sudden good-hearted act is all part of something bigger. I'll figure it out what it is,' thought Hermione as she went to her desk and skimmed through her lesson plan.

Meanwhile, Snape was going over what just had happened. Hermione hugged him -- and he liked it. He grinned.

__

'What is going on with me?'

Contemplating this, he went to his lesson plans and looked them over. He looked at the clock. "Classes start soon."

Right on time, Hermione knocked on the connecting door.

"Snape, are you ready? Classes start in ten minutes."

Snape gathered his notes and opened the connecting door.

"Let's go," said Snape.

Hermione and Snape left their chambers and walked to their classrooms. 

****

A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


	12. Visitors

****

Chapter Twelve: Visitors

It took a few days for Hermione to get used to being called "Professor Granger" instead of "Auror Granger." Even though she was so close to her students' age, she managed to get them to treat her as any other professor. She had successfully gained their respect somehow. Hermione suspected that her authoritativeness during that small confrontation with Anton Zabini had something to do with it. Another was that few students had a crush on her because she was the pretty new teacher. But the most likely cause might have been when a few of her students happened to catch her training in the Quidditch pitch a couple of nights before.

"Professor Granger! Is that you?" yelled a boy approaching the entrance of the Quidditch pitch.

He was accompanied by another boy and two girls. As they neared, she recognized them. They were the four students from Ravenclaw.

"Mr. Boot, Mr. Patil, Ms. Chang, Ms. Goldstein. What are you all doing out here?" asked Hermione when they were approached her.

"We had nothing to do in the common room," said Peter Patil.

"So we decided to take a walk around the castle because it's such a beautiful and clear night," said Paige Goldstein.

"We were just about finish with our walk when we heard some noises and saw lights coming from the Quidditch pitch," said Sydney Chang.

"We decided to investigate and that's when we saw you and I yelled out your name. Where did you learn those moves from, Professor?" asked a wide-eyed Kyle Boot.

"Moves? Oh. It's called martial arts. It's a...uhh...hobby of mine," said Hermione.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Ms Chang?"

"Why are you covered with spots of paint? Where did they come from?"

Hermione looked at herself. Her clothes were still splattered with paintball marks from the pipe bomb she tried to disarm earlier that evening.

"Oh, well...," she began. She paused for a moment and quickly thinking Hermione started to talk again.

"I was playing a game that my friend sent me. It's a congratulatory gift for becoming a professor here. I thought that I'd put it into use. The spots of paint are from the game."

Paige looked like she was about to ask a question. Hermione immediately said, "Why don't you all start heading back inside the castle. I'm going to be leaving soon, myself."

"Yes, Professor," they said in unison.

It spread like wild fire that she "had moves and could kick ass," as she heard a student in hallway say. Everyone knew about her "hobby." Hermione suspected that it was Kyle who headed this particular gossip train.

Protecting Snape during the school year was not as tough a task as she thought it would be. He was right next door when they were teaching and they always walked to meals together. In fact, one was rarely seen without the other. All of the students noticed that and a few more juicy and graphic rumors started up about them. The rumors were the hot topic at the weekly staff meetings.

Hermione had also been religiously sending Director of Judge of the MIB weekly progress reports through the Floo Network. So far, all they all said:

__

Judge - 

Nothing important happened this week.

- Granger

It was now the morning of Hermione's birthday. '_Twenty-three today.'_ She smiled to herself as she got out of bed. She showered and got dressed. Just as she was about to leave, there was a knock on the connecting door. _'That's weird.'_

She walked to the wooden door and opened it. Snape was standing there with hands behind his back.

"Good morning, Granger," he said.

"G'mornin', Snape. Umm...come on in," she said.

He walked to the center of the living room. He held out a medium-sized package.

"This is for you. Happy birthday."

__

'He got me something for my birthday!?' she thought.

"Oh, thank you."

She immediately opened it. It was a black hard covered book. The title was in gold and read, _The Complete Encyclopedia of Charms_. She smiled at him.

"How thoughtful. Thank you!" She gave him a hug, like the ones she usually gave to Harry and Ron.

He almost stumbled backwards in surprise. _'She's hugging me again.' _He smiled a bit.

"You're welcome. Off to breakfast, then?"

"Yup, let's go."

"So what's the word?" asked Hermione as they neared the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Swordfish. Just like it was yesterday and the day before that," Snape said.

"As long as you know that," said Hermione.

They went up to the High Table. There weren't many students there yet. She noticed that there were two extra settings where she and Snape sat.

"Happy birthday, Hermione. If you would, could you sit here today?" said Dumbledore. She sat down with the two extra setting on each side of her. She looked quizzically at Dumbledore then at Snape, who looked a bit confused.

"I don't know what he's doing," said Snape murmured to Hermione,

A few minutes later, two tall figures walked through the entrance. Hermione was about to take out her wand until she saw who they were.

"Harry! Ron!" she yelled. They ran to the High Table and she met them halfway.

"Happy birthday, Mione," they both said in unison and gave her a kiss on her cheek. They then gave her a bear hug which sandwiched her.

"You guys!" she said. They then let go of her. "Shouldn't you both be at work?"

"Don't worry. We took a day off and even owled Dumbledore in advance," said Harry.

"We're going to spend the whole day with you," said Ron.

"This is great! It's been such a long time since we've seen each other," Hermione said.

"This is just like old times," Harry said as the three of them walked back to the High Table.

"Yup. The Golden Trio, reunited again in the place where it all started; even if it's only for one day," Ron said.

"Oh no," Snape said as he stirred his coffee.

"I'll make sure they stay out of trouble," Hermione said to him.

"You never managed to accomplish that while you were still students here," Snape said.

"Well, they got a mind of their own, these two," Hermione said as she smiled.

When the Great Hall was full, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were very well aware of the stares they were getting, but they chose to ignore them.

"So, Mione, what was it like in The States?" asked Ron in between bites. 

"It was wonderful. Everything and everyone was so fast-paced. The office buildings were huge and the parks...breathtaking. I could live there forever."

"You sound like you have from your drawl," said Ron.

"I could switch this accent on and off if I wanted to. I just like the new one I got." She smiled at him.

"Speaking of the park, I heard about what happened to you and Quirrell from Shacklebolt. Are you alright?" asked Harry referring to her encounter with 20 dementors.

"Oh, I'm alright. It was nothing a few patronuses and a bar of chocolate couldn't fix. Quirrell is suspended indefinitely without pay. I'm pretty happy about that."

"He should be in Azkaban for leaving you alone," said Ron. 

"How do you know?" asked Hermione.

Ron blushed. "I told him, Mione. I'm sorry, but you know how he is when he worries," said Harry.

"Yeah." She paused. "So I guess you told him why I'm at Hogwarts too, then?"

"Yes," Harry said quietly.

"It's alright. Don't worry about it. Ron would have found out anyway," said Hermione. Harry brightened a bit.

"Yes, I would have. I still have connections to the Ministry, you know." Then Ron leaned over to Hermione and whispered, "So what's it like hanging around that overgrown bat everyday?"

She laughed. "It's not as bad as you would think. When Judge gave me the assignment, I was thinking, 'You have got to be kidding me.' But I've grown to enjoy his company." This caught the eavesdropping Snape's attention. 

"'Enjoy his company'?" asked Harry asked in disbelief. "What have you done to the real Hermione?"

"Oh, c'mon guys. You have got to grow up. He's human too, you know," said Hermione.

"I suppose so...," said Ron.

"How's being Keeper for the Chudley Cannons Ron?" asked Hermione, switching the subject.

"Excellent. I've just signed a 5 year contract with them."

"That's terrific," said Hermione.

"With Ron on the team, the Cannons are going to start winning again," said Harry.

"That's right. You have better believe it. I'm an asset to the team, according to Coach," said Ron.

"Harry, how's Secret Auror training?" asked Hermione.

"Tiring, but it's worth it. You should know that, Mione." She nodded knowingly.

As breakfast drew to a close, Dumbledore said to Hermione, "I will take over your guard position for today so you three can catch up."

"Thank you so much, Albus," she said. Harry, Ron, and Hermione got up to leave.

Hermione stayed back and looked at Snape. "Now you behave yourself for Mr. Dumbledore," she teased.

He glared at her. She noticed over the past few weeks that he had different types of glares. The one that he was giving her fell into the "I'm-going-to-pretend-I-didn't-hear-that" category.

Hermione lead the way to her classroom.

"I don't remember having Charms in the dungeons," said Ron.

"It's a security measure," Hermione replied.

"Oh," he said.

They entered the classroom.

"Do you two mind sitting in the back during the lessons?" asked Hermione.

"No problem," Harry said.

"And since the students will be absolutely thrilled to meet you both, I'm going to cut the lesson a bit short and open it up for some Questions and Answers."

"Sounds good. After all, we are _celebrities_," said Ron, smiling.

Hermione laughed. "When did your ego get so big?" she joked.

A few minutes later, her students started to file in. After half the period was over, Hermione said to the class, "Ok, everyone, wands away. We have two special guests today who I'm sure you will recognize. Mr. Ronald Weasley of the Chudley Cannons and Auror Harry Potter. They will answer any questions you have, as long as they are appropriate."

There was a collective gasp. Ron and Harry walked to the front of the room and fielded questions regarding Quidditch, their Hogwarts years, the British Aurory, what their favorites were, and if they were single. Much to the disappointment of the females, Ron said that his girlfriend was Lavender Brown and Harry said that his was Ginny Weasley.

The rest of the day was conducted in the same fashion. It was not until dinner that the trio had time to themselves.

Meanwhile, Snape had been under the watchful eye of Albus Dumbledore all day. He was sitting in on his lessons and followed him everywhere. He became annoyed and tried to politely tell Dumbledore to go away to no avail. _'He's worse than Hermione,' _Snape thought to himself. Dinner couldn't come soon enough for him.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall early and sat down at the High Table. Moments later, Snape, with Dumbledore in tow, entered the Great Hall.

"He looks unusually sour," said Hermione.

"I hate to say this, but with Dumbledore following him around all day, I wouldn't blame him," said Ron.

"So, how was your day, Snape?" asked Hermione as he sat down.

"Oh, just tfantastic. I quite enjoyed having the Headmaster sitting in all my classes and watching my every move," said Snape bitterly.

"You did? We should visit more often, then. Don't you agree, Ron?" said Harry.

"I absolutely agree, Harry," Ron said. Both of them were smiling at Snape, who glowered back at them.

After a few minutes of eating, a mischievous grin appeared on Hermione's face.

"Do you two wanna play Hide-and-Seek?" she asked.

"In the castle? It would take days for us to find each other," said Ron.

"No, not in the castle. Outside in the Quidditch pitch. We could use my new Auror training system."

"You got the new system!? I want to play. Let's go now," said Harry pulling her up from her seat.

"Yeah, c'mon," Ron said after stuffing a few more bites into his mouth. 

"Ok, ok! Accio package," Hermione said as a large box came flying towards her.

The three of them nearly ran out of the Great Hall, which caught the attention of a few of the students. Snape sighed. He was glad to see Harry and Ron gone. But he did miss Hermione's company.

"You can go to the Quidditch pitch after dinner. I'm sure Hermione would be happy to see you," said Dumbledore.

"Yes, sir," he said. _'I wouldn't be surprised if he was a mind reader,' _Snape thought.

Outside, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were setting up.

"So this is how we're going to play. One hides, while the other two seek. Four shots on you and you're out. We'll take turns hiding. Ok?"

"Got it."

"Yeah."

"Here, take one." The three of them now had identical handguns. She used her wrist control and turned on the system.

__

"Welcome to Auror Special Training, Version 9.0. Please state your difficulty level: Easy, Normal or Hard. Please state your Mission number."

"Setting: Mission One, Task Two. Multiplayer Mode. Three players. Negate objective. Negate difficulty level," said Hermione.

"Mission One: Target Training Using Muggle Firearms. Objective: Negated. Task Two: The Forest. Multiplayer Mode begins in 5...4...3...2...1...GO!"

"Ok, Harry, you hide first. Hermione and I will count to 30," said Ron.

"Go to that big tree and start counting," Harry said.

When Hermione and Ron had their back turned, Harry started running.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30," the two of them said quietly to themselves.

"Do you think we should split up?" whispered Ron, crouching slightly as he walked, holding his gun steadily in his right hand with his elbow locked.

"And let him divide and conquer? Never. We stick together," Hermione whispered back. She was slightly crouching too and had her gun in her right hand with her left hand cupping it and elbow bent.

After a few minutes of walking, they heard a rustling sound to their left.

"This way," whispered Hermione.

"Over there, behind that bush!" said Ron.

He and Hermione shot at the bush while running to it. Harry popped his head up and fired back. He ducked back down and moved to a nearby tree. Unbeknownst to him, Hermione and Ron had split up and were surrounding him. Just as Harry peered out from his tree, he was hit in his back by Ron. When he turned to fire at Ron, Hermione shot his back. She and Ron then shot him again.

"That's a total of four shots, mate," said Ron.

"Don't I know it," said Harry. He was now seated on the ground and leaning on the tree behind him. He was gripping his left shoulder, where Hermione had shot him.

"I want to go next. Restart player three," Hermione said. Harry's wounds suddenly disappeared and the pain he felt was gone.

"Thanks, Mione. C'mon Ron, let's go over there," Harry said.

"Count 'til 30!" Hermione said.

"We will," said Ron.

Hermione quietly sped off to a large willow tree about 50 yards away. She climb up it with ease and could see Harry and Ron slowly moving towards her. With the leaves covering her, Hermione was practically invisible. When Harry and Ron were in close enough range, Hermione shot 4 shots at Harry. All four hit their target on his chest and torso.

"I'm out. It's up to you now," she heard Harry whisper to Ron in pain.

"Where did they come from?" asked Ron.

"I don't know, but we're close," Harry said. He was again sitting on the ground and leaning on a tree.

Ron walked away from Harry slowly and looked all around him. _'Where is she?' _Little did he know that he was walking closer to Hermione.

Taking this opportunity, Hermione shot 4 times at Ron. He doubled over in pain, clutching his torso.

Hermione climbed down from her tree and said, "Looks like I win this round. Restart player two. Restart player three."

"How did you do that Mione?" asked Ron.

"I excelled in Stealth and Concealment back in Auror training."

"You'll have to teach me a few tricks of the trade some time," said Harry.

"Of course I will. Ok, Ron, your turn," she said.

When Harry and Hermione went to the willow tree, they began to count to 30. The two of them walked a bit until they saw the silhouette of someone walking slowly. Harry and Hermione at shot at him and saw the figure go down.

"You're out, " yelled Harry.

"You made that way too easy for us, Ron," said Hermione as she and Harry walked towards the man laying on the floor.

Hermione gasped. "Snape!" She bent down and felt for his pulse.

"Did we kill him? Is he dead?" asked Harry.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, Potter," Snape said quietly as he tried to ignore the pain he was feeling in his chest.

"Nope, he's still alive and kicking," said Hermione humorously. 

"What happened here?" asked Ron as he emerged from his hiding place.

"We accidentally shot Snape. We thought it was you," said Hermione.

"Speaking of which..." began Harry. He and Hermione shared a look. They both shot 2 shots each at Ron.

"You're out, mate," said Harry.

"Thanks a lot, Harry," said Ron groaned.

Hermione chuckled. "Ok, that's enough. Restart player two. Restart interloper."

Immediately, Snape and Ron fell much better.

"We have better get going, Mione. Happy Birthday and here," said Harry. He pulled out a very small package from his pocket and gave it to her.

"I shrunk it so it wouldn't weigh as much."

"What is it?" asked Hermione eagerly.

"Just some light reading we both got for you," said Ron.

Hermione took the miniscule package and gave each of them a hug. "Thank you both for the gift and for visiting me."

"Anytime," said Harry.

"Maybe we could come back and visit you again," said Ron.

"Of course, that'd be great! See you guys later. Remember to owl me," said Hermione. She gave them both on final hug and kissed each of them on their cheek.

"We won't forget. Bye, Mione. Snape," said Ron.

"Bye Mione," said Harry.

Harry and Ron Disapparted, leaving Hermione and Snape alone.

"I guess I have to buy you another 'I'm-sorry-you-got-shot' drink," joked Hermione.

"Make that two more drinks," said Snape. "You shot me twice."

"Yeah, sorry about that," said Hermione quietly. "So, you wanna play? You could get some more practice on how to resist the Cruciatus Curse and learn wandless one-on-one combat."

After a moment, Snape nodded. "Wandless one-on-one combat sounds interesting."

"Alright, let's start with that, then. You'll have to take off your cloak though," said Hermione as she removed her robe. She threw it on top of the box. Snape folded his cloak in half and laid on the ground next to the package.

Hermione started to teach Snape beginners martial arts. They were so wrapped up in what each other was doing that they didn't notice a dark figure quietly walking towards them.

The person walked towards their cloaks. He knelt down and picked up Snape's cloak. He looked carefully at it plucked a few hair strands from it. Placing the cloak back down exactly as he had found it, he put the hairs into a plastic bag. He stood up and looked at the two people in the field. He cocked his head in confusion and studied them for a moment. He then placed a Disillusionment Charm on himself and quickly left the scene and walked to the Forbidden Forest and Disapparated.

****

A/N: Please review. All reviews and suggestions are welcomed. Flames are discouraged.


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